There once was a farmer who planted good, precious seeds in his field. But the enemy came while it was night and planted tares (weeds) among the wheat. As the wheat started to grow, so did the tares. It was asked of the farmer by his workers if he had sown good seeds. Of course his response was that he had, but the farmer knew that the enemy had come and tried to sabotage his crop. The key word here is “tried.”
His workers then asked if they should pull out the tares that were growing with the wheat. The farmer said no, to let them all grow together until the harvest so as not to harm the wheat. Then they would be separated. So the good wheat and the tares grew together until the harvest. Then the tares were bundled and burned, and the wheat was put in the barn.
You may ask why I have shared this story with you, and my answer would be to share this statement: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”-Galatians 6:9. As we view our media devices, turn on the news, read the paper, or listen to the radio, we are constantly being exposed to all that is wrong or bad with our world today. It is overwhelming, and it truly leads us to ask, “What is our world coming to?”
There is no denying it: there is negativity, destruction, and continuous chaos all around us. The world we once knew is no more. Yes, there is a lot of evil, but make no mistake- there is still a lot of good! We are living in different times, causing us open our eyes, broaden our thinking, and even expand our understanding in areas where before we never gave much thought or concern.
I challenge each of us to continue planting those good seeds of faith, knowledge, love, kindness, and understanding. Let us focus on our critical goals and personal responsibilities to family and community. As the farmer instructed his workers not to remove the tares from the wheat, we too will be faced with the tares of life all around us that want to choke us out. However, we need to remember that personal growth is still an option.
The farmer said this to his workers at the time of harvest, so I will say to the reapers: “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”-Matthew 13: 24- 30. So, stay on the path and then reap the ultimate harvest. . .
Until Next Time, Be Sincere, Kind and Intentional
Jackie Warner, Community Outreach Specialist
Email: thebridge.us@gmail.com
Check out upcoming events: Website: http://thebridge-us.yolasite.com/
