What the parable of the sower teaches me about following Jesus.
By David Balimunsi, Water Source Assistant of the WASH Program
In my work with Kibo, I encounter a lot of stubborn people.
My program, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), teaches people about hygienic practices, shows them how to build sanitation facilities, and helps them gain access to clean water by drilling and repairing wells. Even though all of these things objectively improve the quality and quantity of life in a community, they also require a lot of time, energy, and money to implement in a way that is sustainable and that benefits the whole community.
Some people just refuse to dig a latrine, to give a small amount of money to help repair their community’s borehole, or to cooperate with their neighbors. They want to do things the way they’ve always done them, and they’re either too afraid or too lazy to transform.
But when I encounter these people, I do not despair. I remember Jesus’ parable about the sower, and I am confident that if I keep sowing seeds, as God has called me to do, that God is faithful and capable to transform people’s hearts and minds:
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.
Luke 8:5-8 (NIV)
Actual seeds don’t get second chances to grow. But Jesus always gives us second chances (and third chances and thirtieth chances and three-hundredth chances). Since Jesus gave me all those chances for transformation, I want to extend that same grace to the people in Kibo’s partner villages. And — thanks to the transformational power of God — it almost always pays off: The person who said they would never dig a latrine suddenly changes their mind and digs an extra-deep latrine. The person who says they would never contribute money to repair their well suddenly has a change of heart and gives more than their neighbors asked from them. The person who said they would never work with someone of a different religion or tribe is suddenly leading the village in love and unity.
When I see those stubborn people transform, I feel like I understand the feelings of the shepherd finding the lost sheep or the woman finding the lost coin. The people who are most difficult to work with often turn out to be our most memorable friends and joyful success stories.
From the third chance to the three-hundredth chance, we want to see our Ugandan neighbors thrive, no matter how long the journey or how hard-fought the battle. That’s the Kibo Way.
This article was also published here by The Journey Church.