Soil of Character
How well developed then
My soil of Character
The soil into which God’s word falls
The place where His ways establish
As a harvest to feed others
Reception for God
All He would teach
All He would make from
Experience
All he would make from
Blessings
All He would make from
Dark and Difficult times
I wonder what happens when life delivers
Stony Ground
A Roadside verge
Or weedy patch
Not all find themselves
In the possession of ‘Prime Estates’
Deep, constant Soil of Character
Must be cultivated
Difficulty carves Character
No matter what terrain we are dealt in life
There is opportunity
To develop soil ready for growth
Rock turns to soil
Beneath lichen’s determined correction
If single-minded
I can provide good earth
To receive the seed
Allowing it to take root and grow
How?
Meditating on the Word of God
Allowing God to show me through my everydayness
How that Word applies to life as I know it
Wanting God in my life
Allowing His Truth to seep into my being
Turning to God throughout my day
Allowing His Spirit
To influence
To become
Part of me
Part of my life
Part of decisions I make
This is Deep speaking to deep
Innermost not outermost
Timetabling God
Allotting quiet time
Keeps Him at arms length
Making Him
Merely surface stuff
To run off as the day presses on
No matter how significant the moment
If that’s all there is
For the remains of the day
Then there is no depth
No going Deep
Plants don’t convert stone to soil
By merely brushing the surface briefly
Once or twice every 24 hours
They sit with it
Cover it
Influence Tough Exterior
Penetrating surface
Through Tiniest Gap
Allowing moisture to seep in
This is how change begins
Slowly
Gradually
Gently
Constantly
If I fight every change
God brings to bear on my life
If I run from every difficulty
If I avoid each trial
If I pretend all is good
Denying the struggles
Hiding the pain
If I keep busy
If I hide from Ugly Truths
If I challenge every alteration
If I fill my mind with all else but Him
Failing to invite Him
Then how is this stony ground
Ever to become soft tilth
Ground pliable enough
To receive the Word of God
And the purpose He ordained
Words and Pictures © Denise Stanford 2011
Inspired by:
The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
Matthew 13 v 20-21 The Message
Within the Vine 
Hi Denise….I have been pondering on these words this morning whilst out in the garden enjoying this beautiful day…..and just wanted to say thankyou for drawing out the real message written in Matthew about how we need to lay the foundations for God’s word to saturate our life and soul in our every day life. When the tough times come, which they do to us all – we will be better prepared to rely totally on Him knowing that his love can wash through us and guide and protect us for His good. Also thinking how well this all ties in with Matt’s message yesterday…..thank you for helping me really “meditate on God’s Word” – instead of just reading the words….I will try to read only a small passage from now on and really extract and understand God’s message rather than read and think I’ve done what’s ‘required’ as a christian…..thank you for your powerful and deep insight but mostly for sharing and helping people like me (probably a little lazy and/or complacent) to really think….. X
Humbled… by how the Lord has used my offering and your willingness Blessings x De