Don't Judge the Soil

Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Arles, November 1888

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.””

— Matthew 13:3-9

I learned a valuable lesson last week. God was working in the life of one of my group members and I didn’t see it. Had it not been for His grace, I could’ve really screwed things up.

A new group member joined us last year. Attending the group wasn’t her idea, so she wasn’t all too thrilled about joining, either. She had once believed but had become cynical toward Christianity recently.

As a group leader, it was challenging at times. Our discussions weren’t always easy. At times I wondered if anything we were discussing was getting through. Sometimes we went down rabbit trails that I didn’t plan for.

But that was part of the problem. I had an agenda that was different from God’s plan.

Though this person wasn’t always open to the gospel, she attended the group and became one of the most faithful and consistent members—even hosting it at their house on one occasion.

Our group had chosen to go through a discipleship study called, “The Core” that covered the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. As a result our conversations together became richer and more meaningful. Of course, we chased the occasional rabbit, but over the ensuing months, I began to see real growth and maturity in this person’s life. God was at work!

“If you’re hosting the group at your house and it’s late, sometimes it takes everything you can to keep from shooing people out the door with a cattle prod.

But these are often some of the most important conversations.”

Recently, our group met and the topic happened to be baptism. We discussed the topic with scripture as our guide.

“What is baptism?”

“Why do we do it?”

“What does it symbolize?”

These discussions led to a conversation after our group time. If you’re a group leader, you know what I’m talking about. This is when you’ve all said “amen” and everyone gathers around the kitchen island with bibles under their arms and chit-chat for another 30 minutes. If you’re hosting the group at your house and it’s late, it takes everything you can do to keep from shooing people out with a cattle prod.

But these are often some of the most important conversations. You get to hear more about the prayer requests, the concerns, the worries, the celebrations.

On this particular night, this person asked to speak with me privately after the group concluded. She told me how she had grown over the last few months. In all her years of going to church, she had never experienced anything like she had experienced in our group. She hadn't had the opportunity to ask the questions that had always been on her heart.

Because of this experience, she now believed in Jesus and wanted to be baptized!

Praise God!

Early on I had almost written her off assuming that she would never believe. Our mission is to cultivate disciples. This is why we do what we do…and I almost missed it!

But God had a plan. He brought her to our group for a reason—not only to draw her close but to teach me a lesson:

As a group leader, I mustn't judge the soil. My job is to sow the seed.

As you lead your groups, I encourage you to sow the seeds of the gospel. You may not see the evidence of growth, but be faithful. God knows the heart and he may be at work!

Let us also be thankful for His grace. He can still use us despite our mistakes.