Seed Stories from Gardens of Faith

Today I begin writing a series of seven blogs on each of seven great Wisdom Traditions: Hindu, Taoist, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Native American. The flowers I will gather this time from these Gardens of Faith will be story-flowers. A story is one of the best ways to teach a truth in a way that sticks in people's memories. In my research I have found that the founders and great teachers of the world's Wisdom Traditions are fond of telling stories. I hope to recount some of them in these blogs.

For me, stories like these are seeds planted in the soil of the heart. There, they germinate and grow at their own pace, until the truth they contain blossoms with meanings, for good stories always have more than one meaning. The meanings that most resonate with each of us are the ones that will flower in the living of our lives.

Because this is the Christmas season, it seems fitting that I start with stories from the Christian Garden of Faith. I have chosen stories told by Jesus himself, according to the various Gospel writers.

If they are familiar to you, pretend you are from some other religious tradition and have never ever heard these stories. What might they mean to you in that case?

The first story I have chosen for this first blog is the story of a man who went out into the fields to sow his seed. This is how it goes: (from Luke 8)

A sower went out to sow his seed.

As he sowed, some fell by the wayside and was trampled down, and devoured by the birds of the air.

Some seed fell on rock; at first it sprang up, but then withered away for lack of soil and moisture.

Some seed fell among thonrs, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

But other seed fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.

When Jesus disciples asked him to explain what this little story meant, he said,

"The seed is the Word of God.

Those by the wayside are those who hear the Word, but then evil comes and takes it out of their hearts,

so that they do not believe and find salvation.

Those who are like rocky soil hear and receive the Word with joy; but it does not take root in their hearts, and when trials come, it withers away.

Those who are like thorny soil hear the Word, but then go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring to fruit to maturity.

But those who are like the good soil hear the word with a noble and good heart, and keep it, and they bear fruit with patience."

My response:

Ah, I know what it's like to be a wayside seed,

scattered, lying on the hard ground of life,

trampled by heedless people,

gobbled up by birds of desire,

the truths within me unable to crack open and grow

because of the evil in others and in me.

Is there hope for me?

And, I know what it's like to be a seed among rocks

covered by a thin layer of soil--

just enough to let me take root and sprout,

but not enough for my roots to grow deeper.

I am scattered

on the surface of things.

When things get rocky,

and the storms of life come,

I am washed away.

The truth in me gets no chance to take root and bear fruit.

As for being a seed among thorns,

I've been there too.

Haven't you?

You know how it is.

There are so many distractions, it's hard to hold on to truth.

So much to do, so much to shop for, take care of, hang on to.

So much to worry about, think about.

How to sprout when there is all this choking Life out?

Thank Goodness I also know what it is like to land

in a fertile place where I can break open,

root deep down and nourish the life and truth in me,

and sprout, grow, mature, bear fruit---

so much it seems unlikely to have come from

the tiny seed truths I started out as.

The question from my point of view?

What kind of soil are you?