“So, wait a minute. If 'a sower went forth to sow,' and all he did was scatter the seed and still got 'some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundred-fold' AND he got the Lord Jesus to tell a story about him, why are people making life so hard, Papa?”
“You know, George, that's not quite how parables work, but, it is still a good question.”
Capt. R.E. Ludlow smiled warmly at his nine-year-old grandson George … often using that brain to explore and experiment his way into all kinds of trouble, but even that showed that George had a deep and questing mind, and sometimes, that came out in deep questions.
George loved his walks with his grandfather. Capt. Ludlow made time to spend with each of his eight in this way every week, rain or shine, and George was the most likely one to stay hugged up on his grandfather almost the whole time. He had suffered the worst in foster care, and to him, Papa meant 'safety' even though there was nothing safe about getting caught in his explorations and experiments.
“But, in life you gotta take the Brussels sprouts sometimes along with the peanut butter,” he had said to his best friend, nine-year-old Milton Trent, on a particular day when they had both gotten out at last from being grounded. “At least we live somewhere that people love us, and we actually get peanut butter. Papa roasts and grinds the peanuts himself, and Grandma adds a bit of salt and molasses and love too.”
On this day, Capt. Ludlow was going to the farmer's market in Tinyville to buy sacks of peanuts, and since it was George's turn for a walk, they just walked down with the captain rolling a wheelbarrow, and George pulling a big toy wagon, his other arm around his grandfather's waist as they walked past the fallow fields of the year in Tinyville, VA that eventually inspired George's big question.
“Part of the answer may be that in those days, George,” Capt. Ludlow said, “and in that part of the world, the soil was different, and modern methods of working did not exist yet. So, getting the best field and working it up as you could before you scatter the seeds was what they did. There were no weed whackers and tractors yet: it all had to be done by hand, and in that much drier, hotter climate, it was probably better not to turn up the soil to the wind too much.”
“Oh, OK,” George said.
“The other thing, George: people grew pretty much what they and their community were going to eat – there was not an industry of food yet, so every piece of ground did not have to be forced into maximum production.”
“Oh, OK,” George said.
“But also, George: that's a parable, a local story with a heavenly meeting. It is about sharing the word about the Lord Jesus, that He is the Savior – some will hear it and believe it and bring forth much fruit in God's service in Christ, and others will have hard hearts, shallow hearts, and crowded hearts and will not believe – the devil, the peer pressure, and the concerns of being successful in the world will be the reasons they give.”
“But I bet God is like you, and not having any excuses,” George said.
“It's the other way around, George – I know as a father and grandfather not to accept any excuses for you not doing the right thing when you know to do it because that is how God treats mankind too. But He also knows we have to grow, do things, find out, because we are human … He is patient.”
“Yeah, I see you are like that too, because after all, I am still alive,” George said.
“And so am I, George, because God is patient,” Capt. Ludlow said. “But as an old man, I have lived long enough to know: God is patient, but there is a limit to that. Notice in the parable: the sower comes by once. The soil in which the wheat did not take root is left to be trampled down, parched, and choked with weeds – useless for any good purpose.”
“Yikes,” George said. “That is kinda how the story ends.”
“Which kind of goes back to your question. Life is hard for many, and some have made it hard for themselves because they are hard-hearted, shallow, and choked with foolishness – and until they deal with that, life is going to get harder and harder.”
“I see why you stay on top of me and why Sgt. Trent stays on top of Milton,” George said. “We don't even know any better!”
“And because you are nine, you have time to learn,” Capt. Ludlow said. “But there are plenty of men my age, George, who are making life hard for themselves and often many others, not knowing: should they remain unrepentant in their pride for too long, life can get hard and stay hard and go right into an ever-harder eternity. You will know better, grandson. What you choose to do as a man is up to you.”
George considered this, and then tightened his grip on his grandfather.
“I think I'mma staying walking with you and Jesus, where I'm safe. I've seen it done the other way, and so, no.”
“You are getting wise at your young age, George,” Capt Ludlow said, and tousled his grandson's dark hair as his grandson beamed with love and delight.