Sowing Seeds

A Reflection on the First Reading for October 31st, 2021:
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Deuteronomy
6.2-6

Moses spoke to the people:
“May you and your children and your children’s children
fear the Lord your God all the days of your life,
and keep all his decrees
and his commandments that I am commanding you,
so that your days may be long.

“Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently,
so that it may go well with you,
and so that you may multiply greatly in a land
flowing with milk and honey,
as the Lord, the God of your Fathers, has promised you.

“Hear, O Israel:
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.”
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I usually loathe digging into the Old Testament. To me, the Old Testament can be dark and full of doom. If I’m honest, I often read it like a story of days gone by when people didn’t obey the Lord and so He struck them down. They were so disobedient and slow to understand that He had to send the New Covenant in Jesus for people to really get it.


However, a song was released in 2020 that feels like a companion piece to this reading and sheds light on the simplicity of the messages in the Old Testament for me. That song, The Blessing (by Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe, and Steven Furtick © 2020 Capitol CMG Paragon) reminds me of how blessed and simple my life and the lives of my children can be if we but just listen to Him. In the midst of the chaos that was 2020, this song became a rally cry around the world. Choirs united over social media to sing it together from the solitude of their homes as we all quarantined from each other — trying to stay safe and battle this virus that was permeating the world. Voices joined together over digital platforms to remind us that He was with us; that He was all around us, and that for generations to come, He would continue to be with us.


As I prayed with this reading, listening to the song in the background as I did, I pictured the faces of my children and my granddaughter. I saw them and their lives long after I am gone, rooted firmly in the solid knowledge that God is with them and within them. I pictured long roots of faith, sprouting from my feet, going through them, anchoring them solidly in His love. I know that the lived examples my husband and I provide to them of obedience and faith in God every day are giving them those roots. We may not be seeing it today, and I know there will be bumps in their roads. I also know with certainty that if I continue to love the Lord God with all my heart and keep my eyes fixed on Him and His commandments, these seeds that are being sown today will indeed take root in their hearts. I know this because He promises it to be true. All I have to do is love and obey.




Sandy Graves
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