“What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies.”

I know I am taking St. Paul a little outside the line of what he is talking about here. He is talking about the resurrection of the body. But that image stood out to me this morning because I think it applies much the same way to surrender.

Sometimes I am willing to sacrifice something or give something to God, but I still think I know what it should look like. I surrender it, but then I want to tell God what He should do with it. Maybe I have to really let it die. Surrender it completely and let God make it into what He wants it to be.

Then in the Gospel Jesus talks about the seed falling on different soil. I have read that parable plenty of times, but for some reason I don’t think I have ever really noticed the word “perseverance.”

“As for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

I think I have always read that and focused on being the good soil. But Jesus doesn’t say that once the seed lands in good soil everything just grows. Even in the good soil, bearing fruit requires perseverance.

I think that is important for me. I can be doing what I believe God is asking me to do. I can see some fruit and believe I am on the right path, and still have weeds come up, still have setbacks, still wonder whether anything is really growing. Being in good soil doesn’t mean it is easy. We still have to persevere.

So maybe those two thoughts come together for me today. Surrender it enough to let it die, let God decide what grows from it, and then persevere in tending whatever He gives me.

My prayer today is for the grace to surrender what I am trying to control and to persevere in the things God has asked me to tend, even when the fruit is slow in coming.

Praying for you today, that you get the graces you need, especially the grace to persevere in the good soil God has already given you.

Keep up the good fight.

I am praying for you, please pray for me.

Scripture Readings:
1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Psalm 56:10c-12, 13-14
Luke 8:4-15