“But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:23
Spiritual growth takes making the connection between our ideas and our lives. And that means self-awareness. Years ago a friend pointed out to me that far from my assertion that I wasn’t an angry person, I got quite carried away yelling at other drivers. That conversation was a kind of kooky awakening for me. For the first time ever I realized that maybe I needed to learn to pay attention to my emotions, my attitudes, and my actions. And that if I wanted my life to be a fulfilled one, I needed to find a way for those to align. Congruence and integrity became my watchwords. This is a lifelong process and I’m definitely still learning.
I see this as what Jesus was talking about in his story about the farmer who went out to sow seeds. The good soil is that of receptivity, of willingness, of self-awareness. When we are not willing to learn about ourselves we are like the other soils – the rocky, the hard, the thorn infested. Nothing fruitful can take root and grow. That farmer in the parable is God. God is generous and sows seeds everywhere. Friends, we are in a time of abundant spiritual sowing. We get to choose if we are willing to be the receptive soil.
I’m thinking of this because the seeds God is sowing so broadly now are the seeds of recognizing the divinity and worthiness of every person. We can see that this idea is a scary prospect for some people. They seem to be working overtime to not let those seeds take root. I pray for them – “God knock on the door of their heart until they open it to the joy of Your Love and Presence.” And then I bring the focus back to myself. How do I proactively see, honor, value, and connect with the Divinity in every person? Where are there ways I need to be more aware of my own hard soil? Where can I reach out in friendship, in joy with all people?
As we celebrate Pride Month in June, let us ask ourselves those questions. If we are a member of the LGBTQI community or if we are an Ally, let us behold and embrace the worthiness of the diversity of ways that God shows up as people. Let us work together to create a world that is safe for LGBTQI people – where love is love and the door of opportunity for participation in all ways is wide open. This is who we are as Unity, this is what our understanding calls us to. The Worthy Booklet (linked in this email) published by Unity is full of inspiring stories of LGBTQI Unity members who have found through adversity and spiritual awakening their innate divinity and worthiness. I invite you to read it and to enjoy the additional LGBTQI resources available from Unity – https://www.unity.org/resources/lgbtq Each of us is that one that is the rich soil, the one who hears and understands and who is a part of bringing forth the splendid harvest of love. Y’all means all.
In the Love and Light of the Living Christ,
Rev. Anna (she, her, hers)
