“Where anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not get the sense of it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; this is the one sown alongside the road.

Matt. 13:19-22.

In order to develop heart appreciation for the Kingdom message, a person needs time for thoughtful reflection and consideration. But it may be that one’s daily routine of life has become like a much-traveled road, with many people passing through and making demands on one’s time and energies. When that is the case, there is little opportunity to give heartfelt consideration to the “word of the kingdom.” The heart, being subjected to constant traffic, becomes like hard-packed soil “alongside the road.”

If you recognize that what you really want is a fine relationship with God, why allow your time to be so taken up by others as to prevent the development of such a relationship? There is no need for your heart to be like unproductive soil alongside a road. Hard-packed soil can become productive after it is plowed up and the flow of traffic over it is diverted. Similarly, your making time for considering God’s Word can result in your heart’s becoming like fine, productive soil.