Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. – Mark 4:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 4, 2017) Mark 4

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 struggle with short attention spans. We seem to be so often attracted to next shiny object. And when problems arise, the solution is easy. It is as if we have become a culture of magicians who misdirect the attention of our audiences with a slight 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 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 are better. Instead, the seed grows quickly, but it has no root. 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 that 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 in my life. For me, there is no answer other than loving those around me and treating them with respect. The roots of my faith demand this. Loving just in the moment and then watching that love shrivel up and die because it has no roots is not an appropriate response. God demands more of me. Loving when it is comfortable is not enough. God demands more of me. Loving those who love me is not worthy of the faith that 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 us.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 8