Verses 18 and 19 from Mark, Chapter 4:
“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
In the post “Putting Prayer and Devotion First”, I lamented the state of American culture. These two verses, as soon as I read them, reminded me of that distress.
“The word” is not some inanimate manifestation of scripture in the corner of my mind or soul. Its not what I hear when the Priest gives his homily expounding on that scripture. Its not even the personal graces I receive when prayer over that scripture bears fruit.
“The word” is nothing less than Jesus incarnate.
In the last chapter, when I read of Pharisees plotting to put Jesus to death, I assumed a large distinction between myself and these schemers. “I would never do that. If blessed to be in the physical company of Jesus, I could never do anything to bring Him harm.”
Maybe I need to be careful in making such a proud assumption.
Because I am regularly consumed by the worries of this life. I still succumb to the deceits of wealth and the sins that follow. Desires for other things creep in daily, if not hourly.
Once again, these distractions are common in the culture. Common enough that the culture would not typically label them distractions. Few would take me to task for skimping on my spiritual life in order to concentrate on work, money, generating opportunities for my kids, etc., etc., etc.
Yet whenever I am distracted by the worries, deceits, and desires of my everyday life, whenever I lose mindfulness, the result is harm to “the word.” “The word” is choked and its fruitfulness is diminished or even lost.
And if “the word” is the incarnate Jesus, how far am I from the company of those Pharisees? “Choking the word” is not the same as flogging the incarnate Jesus and nailing Him to a cross, but the violence inherent in that image is enough to give me pause.
I may not be consciously seeking to harm Jesus, but a loss of mindfulness also means I am not consciously, consistently, actively engaged in the perpetuation and support of His life so that anyone who encounters me, encounters Him. If He does not have life in me, then where does He have life? If I am not His face to all I meet, then where will others immersed willfully in this culture ever meet Him?
I can’t escape the feeling that no matter how hard I try, the worries and deceits and desires will get the best of me and cause me to fail. The balance between being a positive force in the culture and a man drowned in the culture is hard to find, and even harder to maintain.
I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to drown. But often I feel as if I don’t understand how to succeed, how to keep my head above water.
So I pray, and trust, and hope, over and over.
- Jesus, I need you. Jesus, I love you. Jesus, heal me.
- Jesus, guide me. Jesus, strengthen me. Jesus, transform me.
- Jesus, hold me. Jesus, help me. Jesus, keep me.