I am not really that familiar with farming. But growing up I wanted to be a frog farmer, so I think that qualifies me to write regarding farming from a point of some, if not unlimited, knowledge.
Being a Christian is a lot like being a farmer. I mean, look at the Bible. We all know the parable of the seed sower. Parables about mustard seeds. Not letting a seed of bitterness sprout up. Knowing a tree by its fruit. And the list could keep on going.
But the passage I want to focus on is in Galatians:
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." Galatians 6:7-8
So as I read this the other night my thoughts went back to chapter five of Galatians where Paul writes about the desires of the flesh and the fruits of the Spirit. What I have come to realize is that I am the most foolish farmer that ever has lived. I hate being bitter. I hate being angry. I hate being jealous. And this list too goes on and on with all these desires of the flesh. I hate them. I want the fruits of the Spirit. But what I am finding is that all I do is plant seeds of destruction. I let these seeds of anger or bitterness or jealousy or lust fall. I see them hit the dirt and be firmly planted there. I do nothing. Then I go on watering them, nurturing them, watching them grow. All the while I stand as a spectator in my mind wondering why I would do this. And in the end I am surprised when what I get are rotten things. On the other side I also know the things I can do to be planting seeds of the Spirit. And I know how to feed these. The thing is that it is harder this way.
There is that old story about two wolves that fight within the soul of a man, one of good, the other of evil. The one that wins is the one that you feed. It is kind of like that, in that the seeds that grow are the ones I water. The ones that grow are the ones that are going to produce fruit. And the fruit I produce shows who I am. And so this is why I am trying to make a better conscious effort.
Farming was never my forte.
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I love that you wanted to be a frog farmer when you were little. When I was little we had a frog pond behind our house and the neighbor boys would rip their tongues out and throw them back, sad huh.
Aside from frogs, I really liked the story of the wolves. I've been contemplating that same thing in my head lately, and you just put words to it. Thanks Tory. And thank God that he's never finished with us.
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