Living Among the Thorns

I was reading chapters 12 and 13 in the book of Matthew this morning and I came across a parable most of us have heard many times. It was the parable of the sower, about the seeds falling on different types of ground. Some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. We all know people who are like the different types of ground, but the part that stuck out to me today was the thorny ground.

Matthew 13:22 (NIV) says, "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." I think way too many of us are living among the thorns. We worry so much about how much (or how little) money we have and how much money we want, and we let that worry keep us from growing the way we should.

From what I have read, worry about money is the number one cause of marital problems and divorce. People commit suicide because they lose their money. Some turn to a life of crime as a way to get more money. Many become gambling addicts because they "feel" the big jackpot is "due." Thorns, choking the possibility of an eternal life in Heaven away from so many people because they cannot see beyond the dollar signs and the checking account.

There is nothing wrong with money. What is wrong is thinking that money is what we need to be happy. We believe that so much that we worry about it. God tells us we are not to worry. He will take care of us. We need to stop worrying and give our fears and our burdens to Him. When we stop worrying about things like money and are freed from the thorns, we can begin to grow again.