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21st May 2024
TuesdayReflection
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Ruah Space offers
Growing Deep Roots
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One of my favourite teachings of Jesus is a parable found in Mark 4.
In this parable, often called the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us about a man who sows seed that falls upon four different types of soil.
What's interesting to me is that the story isn't really about the sower, even though we usually name it after him.
It's much more about the different types of soil the seeds fall on.
Jesus explains to His disciples a few verses later that the different types of soil represent our lives.
The question then becomes, what makes the different types of soil?
Is it just random which soil type we are?
Is it something we can control?
How do we create the conditions of the fourth type of soil that produces an abundant crop which represents a life of joy, peace, legacy, presence, and love?
I don't think it's an accident that Jesus uses a farming metaphor when describing our lives.
Every part of it is physical.
It's easy when we think about our faith to keep it in our minds.
It's tempting to think that if we can just think the right way, learn enough of the Bible, and study theology our lives will look more like Jesus.
And while what we believe matters, the problem is that our lives aren't just what we think. Our lives are what we live and experience.
Our bodies and what we do with them matters.
Our actions, habits, and practices are going to shape us.
They create the soil conditions of our lives.
From how we spend our time to the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the shows we watch, the jokes we tell, the work we do, and what we buy from where, it's all shaping us.
There are no neutral actions.
Literally everything you are doing all day is creating the soil conditions of our lives.
If we are going to be a soil where God's Word can flourish and our lives can produce fruit like Jesus, we are going to have to be intentional.
It's not enough to sit in a worship service for an hour each week to sing a few songs and hear a sermon.
That is a meaningful and necessary practice, but during the rest of the week our culture is promoting habits, ads, ideas, and desires that are shaping us.
This is why Jesus warns about "the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things."
If we aren't careful, our practices in our everyday lives can shape us in ways that choke out the healing and hopeful Word and way of God that offer us true life.
Now, this isn't to say we shouldn't watch TV, have a job, or buy stuff.
It's that we need to be aware of how these practices shape us so we can engage them in healthy, life-giving ways.
We need to intentionally seek habits and practices that shape us more into who we truly want to be and intentionally create space for them.
Doing that will connect us in deeper ways to God, ourselves, and the desires that truly matter.
What you make space for will grow.
What you practice will shape who you become.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
Ruah Space
Our Mission
It is our desire to help people connect with God, their community, the creation, and their own story through teachings, practices, and our own faith journey experiences.
We want to help make space for the Spirit!
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This is where the spiritual disciplines come in.
Practices such as prayer, fasting, meditation, service, solitude, gratitude, and others aren't simply nice things that we add in on top of everything else when we have time.
They are essential to creating the conditions for us to become who God made us to be.
And, ultimately, who we truly desire to be!
These practices intentionally orient us toward God, the Kingdom of God, the teachings of Jesus, and the life we are created to live.
They create the soil conditions for deep roots to grow and produce good fruit.
So, the question becomes, what type of soil are you?
How are your daily rhythms, practices, and engagements shaping you?
Do your practices help create a world of greater shalom and joy for you and others?
Are you creating the intentional space to grow your relationship with God and create soil where you can flourish?
Our desire at Ruah Space is to be a space where we can explore these soil creating practices together and help one another become the type of soil that yields grain.
May you take a step back to explore the soil of your life.
What have you given space to through your practices and habits?
What needs more space? What needs less?
May you discover that God is a good sower who desires to plant seeds in your life that will grow abundantly and produce bumper crops of peace, joy, and love.
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