Shanna and I live in an area in Tanzania that many would consider rural. If you were to depart from our property you would see many worn paths. Some of those paths are made by cattle and goats that pass by our house and other paths are from the school children that pass by. These trails are made by the ongoing life of Tanzania. The packed trails will usually take you to another house, field, school or church. Shanna and I use a similar path on our way to the seminary where we serve.
While walking on these paths I am often times reminded of a spot I could not get grass to grow on in our back yard while we lived in Cleveland, Ohio. The spot was more like a trail. Our first dog as a married couple, Sunny, made the trail by pacing back and forth. The packed trail ran from one fence corner to the other as our devoted dog took on the occupation of protector. What she left behind from such a devoted occupation was a path with no grass. Is there grass growing on your path?
I read a few years ago about early African converts to Christianity. These new Christians were earnest and regular in private devotions. Each one reportedly had a separate spot in the thicket where he would pour out his heart to God. Over time the paths to these places became well worn. As a result, if one of these believers began to neglect prayer, it was soon apparent to the others. They would kindly remind the negligent one, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
Unfortunately I believe this is the case for some of our loved ones today. Our paths are no longer recognizable. They have been grown over with grass. It used to be that our cars could drive themselves to Sunday worship for our benefit of receiving God’s gifts. Recently, it seems as if our cars have downloaded a new update which has given us the ability to take different paths.
It is the same throughout the world, whether it is in the United States in Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio, Florida or Kansas, I used to hear the same phrase, “Well Pastor,…You know,… I’ve been pretty busy.” Whether you are in Asia, South America or Africa, individuals are letting grass grow on their path.
If I may be so bold, let me kindly encourage you, “Brother, the grass grows on your path.” You are no longer listening to God’s command to worship and pray and you are unwilling to recognize His answer to your prayers. And yet our Lord still wants you to be where His Word is found. He pleads for you to be in conversation with Him. Our Lord says in the Gospel of Matthew,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
During this Reformation month the Lutheran Church around world celebrates the great truth that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only path by which one is saved. As your brothers and sisters around the world celebrate this great truth delivered to us in Word and Sacrament, I would encourage you to reinvigorate your whole self and begin your path in prayer and worship once again. There is never a bad time to start stomping on the grass that has begun to grow on your path.
