I've been thinking on something Pastor Kent said on Wednesday night. Hosea talked about plowing the fallow ground in our hearts, comparing our spiritual condition to a field. When I was in Israel this past May, our professor showed us an example of a plowed field and an unplowed field. You can see here the vast difference. The plowed field has been freed of all weeds and rocks and is ready for seed to be sown. Getting our hearts into that type of condition takes a lot of work.
In fact, sometimes the rocks are so big that we need help moving them. Sometimes we face things in our lives that we simply can't handle on our own. We need someone to help us in lifting those rocks. I'm afraid that we don't cultivate the type of culture that allows us to seek help without being judged. I have friends right now who have hard rocks to lift and I have talked to ministers in various contexts who are struggling to lift the rocks in their fields.
But I think that there are many people who are attempting to cultivate their fields on their own, struggling in isolation. I will be honest and say that I am sometimes lacking in knowing how to help other people. My question is this: how can we change our culture to facilitate the idea that it is ok to ask for help and to release people from fear of judgment? Personally, I don't think this is a change that can be legislated through programs, but that we simply need to do a better job relationally. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.
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