It was another long night and I just could not sleep.
Although it was late and I was tired, my internal clock still was off a few hours. Some of my colleagues have no trouble with the seven hours change, but for me it takes at least a week.
I was laying in bed listening to my iPod thinking about Kelly and the girls at home. They were getting ready for Thursday’s Lenten service. The Lenten season just started a week earlier and I was feeling more melancholy than usual because these are my favorite services and hate missing them.
Then I decided to grab the gift in the night stand that was left by the Gideons of the Netherlands. It was the New Testament written in four languages. English was nestled between German and French. I flipped to Matthew and started at chapter 12 where I left off a few days ago. I read for a little while and then decided it was time to stop reading, turn out the light and sleep.
As I laid in bed staring into the darkness, a parable in chapter 13 was running through my head. It was the parable of the weeds. For whatever reason, my mind was spinning around this parable. It seemed pretty simple and in addition Jesus even explained it to his disciples later in the chapter.
I got that the farmer (Jesus) sows seed of wheat (word of God) in the field (the world) and then the enemy (Satan) comes along sowing seeds of weeds (people belonging to the evil one). Ultimately the weeds are collected and burned and the wheat is collected into the barn. I had many questions some rational and others not. Can only the farmer tell the difference between the seeds? Since the weeds and wheat grow together can they tell the difference between each other? And lastly and most troublesome is that the grass and wheat both grow together but end in completely different places.
Maybe I was reading too much into this parable. Maybe each plant is only the difference between the word of God’s and Satan and not people. People around me, people that I know and love, people that had the seed of weeds planted inside them.
After what seemed to be hours of staring into a black ceiling a voice came to my mind. At the time I felt I was just talking with myself. I started asking the voice the many questions. Then the voice said, “You’re missing it”. Focus on what you can control.
The voice asked what is the purpose of wheat? I responded well to grow and bear fruit. Exactly! And how does that happen? I responded Uhh? OK. I will go slowly for you.
I remember smiling because I was having a conversation with myself. So I just insulted me.
The seed is the word of God right? Yes,Once the seed is planted what does it need to grow?
Water and nutrients in the soil. Very good and who provides the water and nutrients? Jesus. Yes again.
I was feeling pretty good now.
What else is needed?
Sun light and air.
OK and who provides these? Well God is the light and the Holy Spirit provides the air.
Yes. So wheat is only wheat when it first starts with a seed of wheat. Then the seed must take in the water and nutrients provided by Jesus, the light of God and the air of the Holy Spirit.
When the seed uses all of these it turns into a plant and if it continues using the soil, water, light and air it will ultimately bear fruit. The wheat’s health along with amount of fruit depends on the amount water, nutrients, light and air are used by the plant. Although both are plants, the fruit is what distinguishes the difference between the weeds and wheat. When these plants come to maturity all that look into the field can easily tell the difference between them.
So Chris you need to focus on taking in what you need so that the fruit will come. You do not want to be confused with a weed that is bearing no fruit.
Focus on being wheat and not worry about the weeds. Let us take care of everything else.
Sleep finally came and I slept a good three and a half hours.
Chris Aiken
