The man who heard Jesus’ words but did not put them into practice had not come to him. Compare this to the man who came to Jesus, heard Jesus’ words and put them into practice; he is like the man who dug a foundation for his house.

This man knew he was building something valuable, and he understood the importance of building correctly.  The process of digging is difficult, messy, and time consuming – but worth the effort.

In a construction project the ground works are a vital part of the job.  But it is also the messiest, dirtiest part of building.  This can be frustrating because the works can go on for a while with, seemingly, no visible sign that anything is actually being accomplished.  Pipes and cables must be trenched for services to the site. The ground must be levelled. But before any of that can be done the site must first be cleared of any obstruction.

Coming to Jesus for his instruction can sometimes be a little bit like the effort of digging the foundation.  In our process of coming to him, we sometimes realise there are obstacles in the way – obstacles we’ve put there or allowed to grow.  Sometimes we uncover things about ourselves we weren’t aware of before. It can sometimes be messy.

Coming to Jesus can be time-consuming.  Sometimes Jesus doesn’t “answer” when we want him to or when we think he should.  Sometimes, we seek Jesus because we want to hear his words on a matter but he appears to be silent.  In those seasons, rather than jump to false conclusions, we must continue to seek him so we learn to hear is heart, not just his words.

Sometimes it is the process of seeking Jesus that helps me realise just how much I need to come to him.  It is in the seeking that I learn the depth of my longing, the necessity of the burden, the scale of my desire.  It is in the seeking that I learn how important it is for the soil of my heart to be cleared from obstructions so when I do hear the words spoken by Jesus, they can be planted in good soil.