“For me, the word “God” means “reality”. Reality is God, because it rules.”
It’s spring and I’ve just spent the weekend composting my garden and planting. So it seems the right time to post about soils.
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
This parable is from the book of Matthew in the Bible. It is explained later by Jesus and he says that the seed that falls on the different soils is the word of God. I was always taught to hear “the word” as the “scriptures” or the “bible”. But the “word” in the original text is “logos” – logic.
The word
The logos
The logic of God
God’s logic is not what we would expect. Down is up and up is down. We love our enemies. The meek inherit the earth. Those things we think are bad are actually good – or vice versa.
If God brings a reality into my life that I don’t like – I may use my logic to judge it as a “bad” reality. I may reject this and fight, struggle, and rage to change this reality for a different one. Believe me, I've spent hours, days, weeks, years doing just that. But God has given me the very reality I am struggling to change. Or maybe God IS the very reality I'm struggling against. His logic has said, “this is the story I am giving you right now. This is my logic about how your life will go.” If I reject this logic, this word – I am the path (the hard soil). If I accept his logic, but let the cares of my life (my busy-ness, my worries and concerns) distract me from really taking it IN and experiencing it and learning from it, I am the rocky soil or the thorny soil. In all cases, whether path, rocky or thorny, what little fruit might have sprung from reality, will be unrealized.
In her book, “Loving what is” Byron Katie states:
“For me, the word “God” means “reality”. Reality is God, because it rules.”
She does a beautiful job describing the good soil:
“I am a lover of what is, not because I’m a spiritual person, but because it hurts when I argue with reality. We can know that reality is good just as it is, because when we argue with it, we experience tension and frustration. We don’t feel natural or balanced. When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.”
When I planted my garden this weekend, I turned compost into the soil. I want the soil to be moist and full of organic matter so it will hold water and nurture the seeds I plant.
In my life, when I take in reality – the word – the logos - and let it sit there – like a seed in good soil, when I hold it inside, and tend to it ….
Something will grow.
(To comment, click on header)