Jesus told a parable about a sower (God), his seed (the Word), and the receiver of the seed (Us). The seed represented four different types of people in our world.
The seed represented an individual who fell on the roadside. That person heard the Word but did not understand it. The evil one grabbed what had fallen and absorbed their soul.
The seed represented some people who heard the Words, were interested in it but did not stick with it. They had no core values and caved into troubles when they arrived.
The seed represented most people who heard the Word, were more concerned about worldly matters and their own worries. The Word was stamped out and came to nothing.
The seed represented all who had tender hearts and who understood the Word. They were blessed with an abundant harvest and the seed feel on good soil.
I have been concerned about America’s harvest for many years now. Are we receiving God’s Word as a nation or are we turning a deaf ear to His love and caring? If someone asked you, “Who are you?,” what would Americans say? What would you say? Our identities are determined by what our priorities are. I still believe we are a Christian nation, but many Americans no longer believe in God’s ability to sow love, hope, and peace in our hearts, in our world. They somehow think God reigns in the far-off hereafter and not here on earth. As we have become more involved in things of the evil one, sexism, racism, hatred, war, violence, all things involving self, it is becoming harder to know right from wrong, to know our righteous place in a complacent world.
I pray for my heart to be filled with the fruit of God’s harvest, as well as for every other American heart. I pray that the verse, “Love one another as I have loved you,” will not just be something we think about but actually do. Every night, I ask God to help America get back to its core values rather than being swayed by a dark society that puts itself first over the concerns of others. I pray that God’s Word will become the seed within each of us that reaps an abundant harvest for all of us.
Shakespeare once wrote, “To thine own self be true,” but some Americans think that quote gives them the right to care for no one but themselves. I realize that Shakespeare was not thinking about Americans being Christians, but perhaps if he would see what America has become, he would not have written those words. The only words that should be in our hearts are God’s Words, and they need to be planted in His good soil, not ours. Many people have sacrificed and died for our freedom to say, “May all of us be true to others.” So my final prayer every night is that our nation will ask for God’s blessings and for a good harvest.
Anna Hartt
