This spring was cool and very wet in western Ohio. You had to mow the grass twice per week to keep up. The soil was moist and fertile. This morning I’m on the patio reading and meditating. I notice the ground is hard, dry, unsupportive of life.
Thinking back to the parable of the soils and the talk I heard a few weeks ago about how you can improve the soil by clearing, cultivating.
But it works the other way. How easy to harden your heart. You start, maybe, by becoming suspicious of someone. Or you get hurt. Or you think someone is getting something you’re not. Soon you’re shutting out people. You become more alone. Your thoughts are dark and brooding.
This is a danger that is real. It can happen to us all. And it’s insidious. It can sneak into your life and be there before you realize it. Just like the soil here became hard and the grass started going into dormancy and the garden had to be watered before the realization sunk in that we have gone from flood to drought.
I see this effect in our political life where hearts are hard and battle lines drawn. I see it in relationships all the time. I can see it happen to me on occasion.
Just like any change, you first must recognize it. Then you have to water your soil. In your life you do it through reading the Bible (and letting it sink in slowly). Through positive relationships you can nurture. Through prayer.
Faith Venture 
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