Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. – Luke 8:6

 Today's Scripture Reading (November 12, 2020): Luke 8

I live in an ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) world. In fact, I have often joked about my own attention problems. Politicians get that. Whether or not they are ADD themselves, they make the most of the fact that our culture struggles with short attention spans. We seem to be so often attracted to the next shiny object. And when problems arise, the solution is easy. It is as if we have become a culture of magicians who misdirect our audiences' attention with a sleight of hand so that we can achieve our goals, whatever they might be. We forget the problem in the magician's right hand as our minds chase the object in the magician's left hand

Of course, in an ADD world, nothing lasts very long. There is always another shiny object ready to take the stage. Nothing has roots, and nothing makes a lasting difference. In an ADD world, we like things to grow quickly and then disappear as our attention wanders on to the next thing.

My ADD world seems to be a perfect illustration of what Jesus was talking about when he spoke of the seed that falls on rocky places. The seed did not die immediately. It did not lie dormant until some future time when the conditions might have been better. Instead, the seed grows quickly, but it has no root that can dig into the ground and get the moisture needed to continue the growth process. It is just another shiny object.

While I recognize that I live in an ADD world, I am convinced that my faith was never supposed to be the next shiny object. It is something that needs to have roots in my life. In fact, it is my faith and my understanding of the world that will shape how I decide to handle the shiny objects that keep vying for my attention. It is the roots of my faith that will allow me to get at the moisture that feeds my love those around me and will enable me to treat them with respect. The core of my faith demands this. Loving just at the moment and then watching that love shrivel up and die because it has no roots is not an appropriate Christian response to the world in which I live.

God demands more of me. Loving when it is comfortable is not enough. God requires more of me. Loving those who love me is not worthy of the faith that has taken root in my life. God demands more of me.

The shiny objects of our ADD world will come and go, but love and faith must not be one of them. These things must take root inside of me even while shiny objects appear and then just as quickly disappear. If it does not, then there will never be a solution for racial injustice and poverty, and all of the other scars that mar this planet. And, I believe, that God demands more of me – and of all of us. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Mark 5             

See also Mark 4:5