Preparing For The Message

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 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.  But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Matthew 13:19-23

One Sunday, I felt like God was trying to tell me something. It started when I woke up in the morning, and something was dwelling that stirred inside of me. We are not talking like an out of body experience, but it might feel as if your mind and body felt were entirely focused on one thing.  Most Christians would identify this as connecting with the Holy Spirit. At any rate, I spent time trying to understand what exactly His message was for me. On the road to church, there was this feeling I had that something today would be different than other days. The message at church spoke on practicing rituals that keep your mind focused on God. “Guess that won’t be the problem today,” I thought. I continued to go down the path of what exactly the message was. To gain greater clarity, I had to stop off at a restaurant, and sit and ponder by myself to keep my focus. Still not knowing what it was, I knew I was on the right path because there was this synergy between both mind and spirit. An inner peace was beginning to take over, and a feeling of joy was evident in my face. Finally, the message was beginning to download. Before the evening had come, it had hit me.



The message was plain and simple. Exercise giving love. Give it freely. Not just to love others, but to love yourself. Realize that there is so much you have to offer, and that no matter what your situation is, you can love your way out of it! This is an obvious thing that most of us already know, but so often, we take the simple things for granted, don’t we? Love is truly a beautiful thing, and the more we give of it, the more we seemingly receive. I was grateful for the message this day, but I also realized an important lesson as well. Sometimes you have to slow down and put yourself in a position where you can fully receive and embrace the message given.


Listening to God should be a basic fundamental thing, but in a society that can push so much pressure on our time and energy, we may not take the time to fully hear the message. Sometimes we have to take a moment to tune ourselves into what is going on. Just like we have to prepare ourselves mentally for work, an event, or even for relaxing, it would seem logical for us to do the same to receive not only messages from God but also to read His word, pray for guidance, and receive the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we can forget that His message to us can come in various forms. Sometimes it is in a song and other times it could be a subtle comment from a friend or coworker. It could even be in a moment you have visualized previously. There are going to be times we fear listening to Him, and others where we might not like what He has to say. However, we must remember that He is faithful, loving, and attentive to our spiritual growth, and He is here to help if we are willing to trust in Him. Today, I urge to to take time to reflect and focus on God's plan for you.  Meditate on it.  Reflect on it.  If necessary, ask guidance on it.  May we always remember to prepare ourselves for the message God has for our life.  Amen.