Like Farmers

It is not a lack of opportunity. It is not that no inspiration is being offered. It is not an absence of wise input.

Seeds are being sown.

Is your soil fertile?

In school, I attended an ethics class. We spoke of Socrates and Descartes, Plato and Nietzsche, and truth be told, I did not like that class. We would learn about various approaches to morality, discuss ethical dilemmas, and deal with real-world problems. Looking back, I wish I had cared. I wish I had participated in the conversation. I think I could have learned a lot simply by taking part.

Why is this, I ask. Why did I not care? Knowing myself, I would expect to have loved a class like that.

I was also in a philosophy class at the time. All sorts of big names got thrown around, but I was bored. Oh, how I would love to go back and challenge Schopenhauer with my naïve understanding of the world. I would love to have taken a shot at disproving Kant, though he likely would have bested me…but isn't that the point - to not just listen and be fed but instead think, 'What if it's actually different?'

So why did I not learn anything in those classes? Why did I not care?

Back then, I didn't understand it. Today, I know the answer:

My soil was not fertile.

See, we are like farmers. Every day, we must care for our fields. We must plow them, remove all the rocks, pick the weeds, keep harmful pests away… the tasks are numerous. Only if we maintain nutritious and fertile soil will any seedlings have a chance of growing. And only if we nurture these seedlings as they grow will there be a bountiful harvest.

If we do not care for our fields, nothing will grow.

Hundreds of seeds could be tossed into our soil. If we do not keep pests such as birds and crickets away, they will get eaten before they even grow roots.

Hundreds of seeds could start growing. If the ground is dry and rocky, their roots will not go deep enough, and the sun will burn them.

Hundreds of seeds could find good dirt and send their roots deep. They could grow strong, but if we fail to pick out the weeds, our plants will get choked out and die.

No, for the crops to flourish, we must care for our fields. We must ensure fertile soil. Only then will seeds grow into seedlings, which then become strong plants, leading to a good harvest.

Now, when I speak of fields, I am obviously not referring to actual farmland. Instead, it is our hearts and our minds that I am talking about. The question is: Are we open to those around us? Are we searching for ways to grow in knowledge daily? Are we receptive to new ideas or stuck in our ways? Are we actively taking good steps toward maturing in faith?

Since our fields are not like those of a farmer, our tools are also not quite like a farmer's. In place of a plow, we have prayer. Instead of a tractor, we have our conscience. In our trailer, we have at our disposal humility, the writings of the bible, contemplation, and honest conversations. Holding these tools, we wake up every morning with the responsibility of tending to our soil to ensure that the seeds that are planted on it yield a bountiful harvest.

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References:

Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13)