Iron & Altar

"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit." - Matthew 13:22

Jesus is not describing a man who rejected the faith. He is describing a man who received it. The word landed. He heard it. And then the thorns moved in - not in one dramatic moment but gradually, the way thorns grow. Worldly anxiety. The lure of riches. Both show up in a man's life with specific names: the pressure of the next deal, the mortgage, the college fund, the fear that you're not providing well enough, the comparison to other men who seem to have more figured out. Real concerns. Valid ones. And if they take up enough space, they will choke what God is trying to grow in you without you ever deciding to let them.

God's call to the rebellious is given while they are still in the rebellion - not after they clean up. Return. I'll gather you. I'll give you shepherds after my own heart. The invitation does not require you to have the thorns cleared before you come back.

Brother, name the thorn. The specific anxiety - not "I'm stressed" but what exactly you are afraid of losing or failing at. Then name the lure - not "I want more" but what specifically you have been going after that has not satisfied. Bring both to one other man this week. Not to fix them, just to name them out loud with a witness. The thorns grow in private. They wither in the light. Today, offer this day for [name].

Lord, return me like the rebellious child I am. Clear the thorns I have let grow. Make me good soil - not perfect soil, just good enough to let what you have planted actually bear something. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us. Amen.