You may think Farming Faith, “a silly waste of time… a nebulous enterprise.. grasping for the wind“. As if we plant seeds of ‘faith’ like planting Tomatoes, Cumquats, fields of corn or, a Granny Apple Tree. After all, these are ‘real’ seeds, real crops, real food. Ok, read on. The mystery of a faith crop is in where we find our ‘selves’ & our future.
A recent conversation took a deep dive into questions in 3 realms: ( let me personalize it – say) “Which of my ‘self’ is most important? To whom do I really belong? Where am I ultimately going? Faith bridges all of these questions – a vital & transcendent element which can elevate our humanity to its original potentiality. Let me clarity…
YOUR Self : Generally speaking ‘you’ can be assessed, both in essence: ‘Human being’ and operation: ‘Human, doing’, using 5 aspects ( humans have identified 3,4,5 or more – see Jesus quoting Moses: Luke 10:27) Physical – body, Intellectual – Mind, Emotive – feelings, Spiritual – soul, Social – Relationships. Three questions: “which of these 5, is most important to me? How would I rank/ operate the above? Which of my essences will last 100 years?” Planting faith wisely with this rubric is critical …
YOUR Identity: Planting, cultivating & harvesting of faith wisely requires the understanding of belonging … identity. Human beings are espoused with essence more potently than all other living things … (just think about it. Read Genesis 1:26,27). You are brilliant, wonderfully complex. So the gnawing question remains: “Since I didn’t create myself – nor do my parents really know my full identity, to whom do I really belong?” As you consider these questions, faith will be required to live out answers.
YOUR Future: In the midst of seeking faith – through what we value & who we are, time inescapably draws us to the very real pursuit of the question “Where am I going?” The answer(s) to the question, of course demand a timeframe… i.e. next few minutes, tomorrow, by 2026, forever. Time – as a mystical and yet undeniable construct, becomes a matter of faith as much as it is connected to the sun, stars and … our physical, intellectual, emotional and relational aging. We have to plant seed of belief – faith – trust. If not weeds of depression, despair, despondence, futility, frailty & frustration arise. Our humanity cries out with a hunger, to eat the crop of faith.
So where are you going?
This is a question which does not function with seeds of faith, without hope. Indeed in another blog we will discuss how seed of faith – just planting with a knowledge of their potency, gives joy, peace & contentment. Ask any farmer – the satisfaction of planting embodies faith; it effervesces with expectant hope. Unless your destination is 1 minutes form now, with no roadblocks… you need faith to proceed, and successfully complete your journey.
I have great hope in your faith journey. As a fellow human traveler, I hope your destination fulfills your true identity, reconstitutes the wholeness of you, and reacquaints you with your maker – to whom you belong. Then will faith seeds be truly harvested.
Farming Faith 