It’s Not Complicated, It’s Costly

We say it all the time: “It’s complicated.”

We say it about relationships.

We say it about life.

We say it about faith.

And if we’re honest, we say it about following Jesus.

But most of the time… it’s not complicated, it’s just costly.

You don’t need to understand how an iPhone or your refrigerator works to use it.

And you don’t need to understand every mystery of God to follow Him. Sometimes the most honest place you can stand is this:

“I don’t understand everything… but I’m willing to trust.”

That’s where discipleship actually begins.

The Story That Reveals Everything

In The Gospel of Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story that feels almost too simple:

A farmer goes out to sow seed. Some falls on the path. Some on rocky ground. Some among thorns. Some on good soil.

Same seed.

Same farmer.

Different results.

And that’s the point.

The problem isn’t the seed. The problem isn’t the sower. The problem… is the soil, and that is where our hearts come in.

Not Everyone Wants to Understand

Here’s where it gets uncomfortable.

Jesus says not everyone who hears Him actually understands Him. Not because the message is unclear, he was abundantly clear, but because the heart is closed.

That flips how we usually think about faith.

We tend to ask: “Is this true?”

Jesus is asking: “Do you actually want it to be?”

Because He also says, “Seek and you will find.”

Which means if we’re not finding… we may not really be seeking him, at least with our whole hearts.

Four Types of Hearts

Jesus breaks it down into four kinds of soil for four kinds of people.

And if we’re honest, we’ve been all four at different times.

1. The Hard Heart

The Word lands… but never sinks in.

It sits on the surface. And before it can take root, it’s gone.

Truth heard is not the same as truth received.

2. The Shallow Heart

This one responds fast.

There’s excitement.

Emotion.

Energy.

But no roots.

So when life gets hard, and it always does, faith disappears just as quickly as it showed up.

Emotion is not the same as transformation.

3. The Distracted Heart

This one is tricky because it actually grows.

There’s belief, there’s movement and there’s something real happening.

But slowly… life chokes it out.

Worry.

Money.

Pressure.

Distraction.

Not rebellion, just overcrowding of priorities and focus.

Eventually, the faith that once had life becomes unfruitful and void.

A crowded heart cannot produce a fruitful life.

4. The Receptive Heart

This is the one Jesus is after.

They hear.

They understand.

They obey.

They endure.

And they produce fruit, thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was planted.

Not because they’re perfect, but because they’re open and work to maintain the openness to the voice of the Shepherd.

The Real Issue

We spend a lot of time trying to fix behavior.

Jesus goes deeper.

He goes after the heart.

God is not impressed with religious activity.

He’s not after your image, your performance, or your words.

He wants your heart.

This Is Why So Many People Fade

We’ve built a culture that celebrates starting strong. But Jesus is focused on perfecting, refining, finishing.

A sprinter explodes out of the blocks, fast, powerful, impressive.

But they can’t sustain it.

A marathon runner?

Slow.

Steady.

Consistent.

And they finish.

Some people start their faith fast… and fade just as quickly.

Jesus isn’t forming sprinters, he’s forming people who endure.

So What Do You Do With This?

This isn’t about guilt. It’s about honesty.

What kind of soil are you right now?

Hard?

Shallow?

Distracted?

Receptive?

Because only one produces fruit.

If You’re Serious About Growth

Then don’t overcomplicate this.

Start here:

• Water what God has planted.

• Remove what is choking your faith.

• Stay rooted in His Word.

• Choose depth over distraction.

And pray something simple—and dangerous:

“Lord, give me a heart that hears. Eyes that see. And soil that produces.”

Because at the end of the day…

It’s not complicated.

It’s just costly.

-Micah