And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying…But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.  (From Matthew 13:1-9)

Let me try my hand at a parable based on this teaching of Jesus.  As I was running down one of our county’s many gravel roads alongside the fields of corn, I noticed something—the stalks along the outside of the fields were much smaller and weren’t producing much for ears of corn, but the ones a few rows in were and the closer the corn was to the middle of the field, the better it got.  Was the soil in the middle better?  Perhaps.  Was the soil on the outside rockier?  Perhaps.  Or, was this nature’s example of showing us that those whom we leave on the outside or the margins of society don’t grow, don’t thrive, and don’t achieve all that they could?  Was this nature’s way of showing us that when we’re surrounded by others we are supported and protected in such a way that we can produce the fruits we were born to produce?  So, is your church, our country, your community, or your clique supportive of all?  Attempting to bring those in from the margins?  Welcoming to those on the outside?  Willing to protect those in need?  Or, like the corn on the outside of the fields, are you leaving them to produce little and not grow as God intended?  Let us hear the lessons of the LORD and let us be the fertile ground that produces love for ALL!  Amen!