Ever wondered if you can plant a seed in the sand?
Not sandy soil, but beach sand. The kind that is found in places like Santa Monica, California.
This was my question as I thought about naming the calling I sense towards this famous seaside community. How do you plant seeds in sandy ground? In ground that no one would even think to start cultivating.
When you think of a farm, you might not imagine a shoreline. And yet, to my surprise, as I researched, you can, in fact, plant seeds in the sand, and they can in fact grow and mature into healthy plants.
Who knew?
I found this realization very prophetic.
During the course of the pandemic, the news out of Santa Monica has been bleak, to say the least. Just like in many parts of Los Angeles, homelessness and crime have increased.
It is ironic because Santa Monica is renowned for its beautiful coastline, and its proximity to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world including Malibu, Brentwood, and Beverly Hills. It is also a So Cal hub for tech companies headquartered in “Silicon Beach” including Snap, Hulu, Bird Scooters, Ring, and Headspace. Not to mention major entertainment companies like Universal Music, Interscope, and Lionsgate. Oh, and the average home listing is $2.2 million according to Realtor.com.
By all accounts, this is a very successful place. But there is brokenness, lawlessness, and poverty in its midst.
The spiritual parallels are apparent.
How can such a secular place, be named after one of the most consequential figures in Christianity: Saint Monica? Monica of Hippo was the mother of another saint, Saint Augustine. Her contribution to Christendom is lifelong intercessory prayer for her son, who at the time was a wayward “heathen” as he confessed himself:
“The evil in me was foul, but I loved it. I loved my own perdition and my own faults, not the things for which I committed wrong, but the wrong itself.”
- Confessions Book II, section 4.
I am struck by the fact that Monica persisted in prayer for her son’s salvation despite his utter hostility to her faith. I would like to think that this legacy of her prayerfulness can be picked up again in the city that bears her name.
What would it look like for constant, persistent, 24/7 prayer to happen in Santa Monica for the challenges that have alluded government officials, residents, and perhaps the church? No doubt there are many social programs, nonprofits, and church outreach activities that do good in Santa Monica—and they should continue.
But my spirit is guided to a place of prayer in the order of Saint Monica. To pray for the seed of salvation (which comes through the word of God Luke 8:11), to be planted (buried?) in these sands.
Isn’t this true of our daily lives anyway? The seed of faith is called to penetrate the sand of the world that is washed away (Matthew 7:26).
Augustine shows us a practical way to do this:
“What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”
Join me on this journey to explore what love looks like out on the sand with seeds of prayer.