It never ceases to amaze me when I see flowers and trees growing on or right next to rocks. While they are thriving on the rock, there is limited growth. When I compare the nearby trees, I can see the tree in the rock is much smaller. The soil we’re looking at today is that kind of surface.

We read, that the rocky ground in the farmer’s field held enough soil so that growth could spring up from the seed. However, there is rock just below the dirt so when the weather turned hot, there wasn’t enough moisture to keep the plant going. In the explanation, we see the message is received with joy, but Jesus says the growth fades when troubles in life, or basically being picked on because of Him (Mark 4, Matthew 13), or a time of temptation comes along (Luke 8) and any growth that did happen fades away.

For us, this can be pretty self-explanatory. We take steps to make a change for the better. Then out of nowhere comes an illness, or an overdue bill we knew nothing about, or insults in regard to our attempted actions. It can be so easy to slip back into our old habit. Forget the change Jesus was asking us to make.

But, there is one rocky place within us that is not so easily seen – a hardness of heart. Do you find yourself saying, “That’s the way it is and nothing will change it”? It could refer to a thing or a person, even ourselves. Maybe, a hurt occurred so deeply that in self-defense a wall has been erected around your heart. That makes it a hard ground and difficult to change. So, any growth that might happen will quickly fade. That is, until the hardness is removed.

When I let the Holy Spirit help me remove some things from my heart that were headed to hardness, I found peace and joy. There was freedom from those rocky places. The Holy Spirit is here to help us turn over and remove rocks within us. But it doesn’t stop there. He further adds more dirt and water to get the good growth going. Do you want peace or joy? Give Him that chance at those rocky places. He is our hope.