Letting God work while we sleep
Matthew 13:24-29
Jesus proposed
another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to
a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the
wheat, and then went off. When the crop
grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and
said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered,
‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and
pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the
wheat along with them. Let them grow
together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the
wheat into my barn.”’”
The best advice I received was
contained in a little Irish maxim. It
went like this: “Take counsel with your pillow.” What does that mean? Looks like what some of you are about to do right
now! Before you make any big decision –
like whether you’ll give $10,000 or $20,000 to the capital campaign – or as you
mull over something, you should sleep on it, get a good night’s rest, and
things become clearer in the morning.
But I believe more than mental clarity happens when we take counsel with
our pillow. Even though we are sleeping,
God is wide awake and he whispers to us, touching our minds and hearts with his
grace to renew and inspire us.
Stephen Covey calls this “the Law
of the Farm.” He admits that during
college he would goof off and procrastinate and then before the big test he would
stay awake all night and cram. Have you
ever done that? Of course you have; I
have too. But that strategy won’t work
on the farm. He explains: “Can you
imagine ‘cramming’ on the farm? Can you
imagine forgetting to plant in the spring, flaking out all summer, and hitting
it hard in the fall – ripping the soil up, throwing in the seeds, watering and
cultivating all night – and expecting to get a bountiful harvest the next
day??” What a foolish farmer!! All wise farmers know that a big part of
plant growth happens while they wait, while they sleep. Why? Because God gives the growth. You see, God’s grace touches plants and
people while we are “taking counsel with our pillows.” You can’t cram holiness into people
overnight; God’s grace works gradually.
In the gospel today, Jesus also
gives some advice about farming. He
proposes a parable in which a farmer discovers weeds growing among his wheat. His servants suggest pulling up the
weeds. But the master replies, “Let them
grow together until harvest.” Now, no
farmer does that! Would you do that in
your garden at home? Of course not! So, why would Jesus? Because Jesus is not really talking about
weeds but about people. Weeds do not
magically change into wheat, but people do change, scoundrels do sometimes
become saints. Remember what happened to
Ebenezer Scrooge in the Charles Dickens’ classic? What about the ancient story of Beauty and
the Beast? The Beast certainly acted
like a weed, whom Gaston wanted to tear out of the ground! But Belle’s love slowly changed him into a
golden stalk of wheat. You see, God
works on us gradually with his grace, and slowly something saintly begins to
sprout.
A friend of mine recently shared
this funny story. He said: “An overweight
colleague of mine decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing
his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery.
One morning, however, he arrived at work carrying a gigantic
coffeecake. We all scolded him, but his
smile remained angelic. “This is a very
special coffeecake,” he explained. “I
accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a
host of goodies. I felt this was no
accident, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to have one of these delicious
coffeecakes, send me a sign, and let me find a parking place directly in front
of the bakery.’ And sure enough,” he
continued, “the eighth time around the block, there it was!” So, you see, patience pays off.
Folks, if you’re anything
like me, you hate waiting. We live in
the culture of instant gratification, we wait for nothing and no one. If I had been the farmer in the parable I
would have shot some steroids into the weeds and wheat and forced them to grow
faster! But that’s not healthy growth,
ask any athlete who’s taken performance enhancing drugs. Instead, take counsel with your pillow. That is, take your time. Sleep on it.
Don’t make rushed and rash decisions.
People can change. God is working
on them. Let me give you some examples.
Parents despair when
their college-aged son comes home and announces he’s an atheist. Don’t freak out and try to pull up the weeds
of his disbelief. Don’t worry, next year
he’ll come home as a communist. Be
patient, God is still working on him. If
you’re a staunch Republican, you may feel like Obama is a hopeless cause. If you’re a Democrat, you may feel that way
about Rush Limbaugh. You should pray for
them that God will speak to them as they sleep; they are still growing and changing. You may feel this way after a divorce. You may say about your ex: “He was a weed if
there ever was one, but I’ve pulled him out of my life and thrown him out!” Not so fast: pray for your ex, that God will
give him or her the grace to grow and become more like Jesus. Most of all, be patient with yourself. Have you ever wanted to give up on yourself,
believing you could not overcome a stubborn sin, or reconcile with a family
member, or ever go to confession to a priest, or ever love the LSU Tigers? I know, I know, but that’s why they call it
“amazing grace”! You see, no one is
beyond saving, but God’s grace works gradually, not like steroids, while we
take counsel with our pillows.
Do you know that I take counsel
with my pillow when I prepare my homilies?
I told a friend once that I write my homily by hand on Friday night, and
then I sleep on it. On Saturday morning,
I type it up and make changes to improve it.
My friend replied, “Maybe you should write them on Wednesday and they’d
be a lot better!” I said, “Thanks a
lot.” He was right. You see, God gives the growth while I sleep,
while I take counsel with my pillow. Be
patient and let God’s grace do the same for you, and for those you love, and
for those you should love a little more.
It is not the harvest yet.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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