Throughout the next few days, we will explore the different types of fields Jesus spoke of in the Parable of the Sower that can receive the seed of God’s word, and what it means for us. The first type of field He mentioned was the road. As those seeds were being planted by scattering them on the ground and falling haphazardly, the first bit of seeds ended up on the road. And what happened to them? I describe it as falling on a hardened heart.

There are so many possible root causes of a hardened heart. Maybe the person has been walked on — and desensitized — as a result. Possibly it’s someone who has been coddled their whole life and therefore is incapable of making any decisions. It could be someone who was betrayed. Regardless of the reason, when the seed falls on the hardened heart, the birds come and eat it. You just have to say to yourself, the birds got it. 

Friend, it’s hard to change people in life; that’s a lesson good people must learn. If people reach out to you, you can help them, and you should, but ultimately they are the only ones who can change themselves. Here’s what you can do for the person with a hardened heart — pray for them. God has turned around the lives of many broken-hearted and messed-up people, addicts, and people with a terrible past. Ask the Lord to soften their hearts. Pray that the Lord would begin to make them tender. It is important to pray that the Lord will motivate them and get them up in the morning. Observe how your prayers have a positive effect over time. Anyone can be changed and turned around by God!