July 12, 2026

Speaker: Pastor Brandon

Writer: Linda Waltersdorf Cobourn, EdD

Preparing the Soil of the Heart

Matthew 13:1–9

My front yard is a riot of color: two pots of pansies rest on a bench next to my knock‑out roses, and two hanging baskets of impatiens stand sentry at the fence. Petunias grace my wishing well, and assorted pansies, impatiens, and ferns reside in the little garden where my fairy figurines live.

But except for the roses, the flowers are all the silk variety. I do not have the gift of growing things—unless you count children.

The story of the Sower in Matthew 13 doesn’t speak to me as a gardener, which I am not, but as someone who has tried for many years to follow Jesus and who has, sadly, been each of the types of soil that the parable describes.

The Parable of the Sower is perhaps the most famous of the Lord’s parables and would have been immediately understood by His audience in the agricultural community of Israel. We may not be tending soil, but we should each be tending our hearts, keeping them open and receptive to God’s transformative message in a world filled with noise and competing priorities.

In Matthew 13, some seed falls on the path, where it’s trampled and quickly taken away. Some falls on rocky ground, where it springs up fast but has no depth. Some fall among thorns, where worries and distractions choke out growth. And some falls on good soil, where it sinks in, takes root, and bears fruit beyond what anyone could imagine.

A few verses down, Jesus explains the meaning to His disciples. The four types of soil represent the four ways people may respond when they hear the Gospel message. The Sower is the same. The Seed is the same. But the responses can vary.

So I ask myself:

Is my heart a well‑worn path, a place that lacks true understanding?

Is my heart in the rocky places, rejoicing in the Gospel message but having no root to make it grow?

Is my heart a thorn‑choked land, too many other worries and concerns obliterating the Good News?

Or is my heart like the good soil, a place where the Seed can be planted and grow to thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold?

I look at my tidy little yard full of silk blossoms—beautiful, but not alive—and I wonder how often my heart resembles the same thing. Pretty on the outside, but not truly growing. Jesus invites us to become good soil: soft, receptive, tended, ready for His Word to take root.

This week, as we walk with Him, may we notice the places that have hardened, the rocks that need clearing, and the thorns that need pulling. Good soil doesn’t happen by accident. It grows through small, faithful choices to listen, to pause, and to welcome His voice.

Closing Blessing

May Jesus walk beside you this week, gently preparing the soil of your heart so His Word can grow, flourish, and bear lasting fruit.