Overcoming Guilt day 10

The Bible talks about a sower that went out to sow his seed. The seed is God's word and the field is the heart of the hearer. Our hearts are like plantations, and the words that we hear are the seeds. The Bible says that there are also different kinds of hearts in mankind. There is the trodden down heart (hard and stubborn), the stony heart (shallow and immature), the thorny heart (heavy weighted by the cares of life), and the good heart ( soft and tender that is able to receive the seed (the word) of God. When we feel like we have failed with our children we sometimes will try to fix it later on in life when they are adults. Sometimes our methods only make matters worse. We will talk more about all four kind of hearts that Jesus identified, but for now we will talk about the thorny hearted person, or the heart that is hurting.

In the parable Jesus said that the thorns represented the worries and cares of life. The thorny hearted person in general is a person who has good intentions and tries as much as they are able to carry out those good intentions. The only problem is something always gets in the way. Surely the worries of life and the cares of this world are reason enough to fail to produce the fruit of God, isn't it? We look at worry as something everyone does. We look at worry as if everyone should be doing some worrying in their life. Jesus said not to worry. He also said that if you carry worry in your heart it is like having thorns in your field. I have seen a field with thorns in it, they are usually on a vine in the garden. Wow, the thorns won't wait for you to come to them, it seems like they reach out and grab you! That is how it is in our hearts, thorns (the cares and worries of life) seem to reach out and grab us. Thorns hurt! When someone is carrying the weight of the world producing a thorny heart, they have a heart that is hurting.

There are some basic things most people worry about. Money, Marriage, Kids, Health and Jobs and our home and transportation. Most prayer request that are submitted are given for one of these areas. Money, Kids and Health are the three most common worries. Some people are carrying so much guilt in life that they just can't face these worries. They want to live a 'party' life, because if they can keep the party going they won't have to face their problems and grow up like the rest of us. When Jesus says, "don't worry" He isn't implying that we should be like an Ostrich with our heads stuck in the sand. Jesus goes on to say that God clothes the flowers of the field and feeds the birds, He says we are more important than birds and flowers, so God will provide for us too. What is the missing element that causes us to have a thorny heart. The missing element is faith, which only comes through what we believe. Most recovery programs realize that having faith in a higher power is crucial to recovery. Faith is the opposite of fear. Many drink to get drunk because they are afraid to face their lives. When we take fear out of the equation and put faith into the equation we have the strength to overcome.

One thing about thorns is that they hurt. Thorns are not passive, they are active. When you pass by a thorny bush it will reach out and snag you. It is the same way when we are involved with the thorny hearts in people. When you pass by them they reach out and snag you. Misery loves company. Sometimes people will try to avoid people who are always complaining about the cares and worries that they have in life. It is like you just KNOW that if you run into that person the thorny worries and cares of their heart is going to reach out and snag you. Thorns are quick spreading too. If you listen long enough you will feel just as bad as they do, it will seem like your own problems have magnified just in the time that you stopped to listen to them.

We can't help people get the thorns out of their hearts. If you try to help a loved one move past the thorns get ready to bleed! The thorns are bedded down deep into their hearts. Anyone who has ever pulled up a thorn bush by the roots knows that it will tear the field up when you try to uproot it. When people lose their job some will deal with it by falling apart. They may get stoned or act irresponsible. It is pretty easy to see that a thorn has grown up in their hearts, and it hurts. Fussing at them and telling them how awful their behavior has become isn't likely to put any salve on that wound. Sometimes we make it worse on our loved ones by thinking our sharp tongue will motive them. Tongues do cut, and at times it seems like saying a sharp word should cut the thorns out. At times it does. We will see others respond and thry to do better when we cut them with our tongues. The problem is the root is still there. We only cut the thorns off, we didn't go to the root and heal the pain so that the thorns would no longer grow. I have seen repectable people just fall apart when they received bad new about the mental health of their child, it can happen to anyone. Oh, the worries and cares of this life, they hurt like a thorn in our hearts ripping us apart. Sometimes people get bitter and mad at God when they themselves are diagnosed with an illness or disease. Thorns spring up in the heart and instead of producing the good fruit of God, we begin producing the bad fruit of a heart that is hurting beyond all human repair.

The only solution for a thorny heart is to uproot the thorns. I was struck with bad news when my child was born about her mental condition. I did not let bitterness bed my heart so that thorns would grow. I took my pain and suffering to the Lord. Alcohol my numb the pain so that you don't feel the prick of the thorns anymore, but, it is not a solution, it increases the problem. When our hearts hurt we tend to lash out at those around us that are trying to help us. The Bible says in the parable of the sower a thorny heart receives God's word but the cares and troubles of the world (thorns) grow up and choke out the plants so that a harvest is never produced. Most people would like to have a good harvest of Peace, Love, Joy, Kindness...what keeps us from obtaining those things. The pain and hurt that we have inside keeps us from producing that good fruit. It is only when we take our pain to Jesus and ask him to massage our hearts and uproot the thorny bushes that we find true relief.