Growing out of the comfort zone...

The ground was prepared. It was ready. All that was needed was the sower to plant his seeds. His hands dug hopefully into the brown rough sack retrieving the young, innocent seeds from their temporary home. These seeds were not ordinary...and no they were not to grow a huge, monstrous beanstalk. But these seeds contained hope. Joy. Peace. Within them were dreams. Goals. Visions. As they concealed Words that had the potential to give birth to all of these things. The vision of the sun awakened the seeds to the life within them, and then they were cast into the wind to be carried to the ready made ground. Some seeds never made it to the field but fell on the footpath lying helplessly. Nothing could rescue them from their fate. The sky turned black, as huge, vicious birds swooped down and ate those seeds. Some other seeds flew like helicopters in the sky falling with a thud to the ground. Not deep enough for roots, the shallow soil prevented the seeds from reaching their potential. For the sun burnt the seeds and as the roots were not long enough the seeds died. Some seeds made their way towards the field, and before they reached they were stuck in the middle of their bodies. Sharp, pointy thorns protruded out of the other side of their bodies...they had no chance. The last set of seeds fell into the field, allowing for many plants to grow. This is the parable of the sower Jesus tells in Matthew 13. Jesus is talking about how we receive God's Word. As I was reflecting on this scripture I saw how it related to 2015.

2015 being the ground prepared. The ground that is ready. And the sower, God, reaching into his bag of seeds to sow into the ground He has already prepared. But how will these hopes and visions be received? 

Some of us are so cynical we have no hope left for 2015. The moment a goal comes to mind or we hear a word of promise, the darkness of our heart or the cold opinion of others snatches them away.

However there are some goals that land on soil but it's roots can't grow deep. We don't allow these goals or visions any depth. The moment we face problems concerning our goals or the promises of God, we leave the seed to dry up like a raisin in the sun. That has happened to me too many times last year. Seeds of vision that I think are going to grow have only fallen into places where the rocks of complacency and insecurities lie underneath stunting the growth of the seeds. 

Others of us allow the worries of this world to choke the life out of these dreams. Getting caught up in life's anxieties traps and destroys our visions. 

Some of these areas are actually our comfort zones. We're used to worrying, or used to not allowing our seeds to take depth in our hearts. We are also used to allowing our dreams and visions to be stolen. There may even be a fear of allowing seeds to fall to good soil, as there's an uncertainty of what will happen when our dreams or God's promises come to pass. There' s familiarity in us being used to worrying about the future and being distracted by the things of this world, that we reside there.

What does good soil look like? Definitely stepping outside of our comfort zone! It will also look like us being more disciplined, staying committed to the decisions that we make. This will been still standing in times when the plants in the soil look like they're withering. i.e. still going to the gym when it seems nothing is happening or still praying when all seems to be going wrong or continuing to push forward in that business in light of failures. With God we can cultivate good soil in ourselves to see dreams and visions come to life. 

Now we are in 2015, how are we going to deal with our dreams and visions? Dare we allow them to land in good soil this year. What does this year hold for us?