The heat is more bearable today, down to a very seasonable 90 degrees from the 105 to 107 degree readings of a week or two ago. The morning started with about an hour and a half in the garden and at the barn. I don't do farm work on Sundays unless an emergency is involved, because I really do believe in keeping the sabbath as much as possible. As a result of my "sabbath observance," the straw bale garden on the north-west side of the barn had gotten a bit dry and a couple of winter squash plants were looking extremely droopy this morning. The good soaking they received will doubtless have the desired impact by mid-day, but the event gave me reason for reflection. As a general rule, it is not the great events that distinguish my life, or build my walk with God. Rather it is the mundane, the repetitive, and even the boring sameness of every day which truly demonstrate my character and bring me success in the spiritual as well as in the secular realm.
Since mid May, those squash plants have been watered nearly every day that it did not rain, and that is most of them. They are large and flourishing, covered with blossoms and fruit. And yet missing water for a day and a half could have been fatal to them. Their health and well being depends on being watered and tended every day. Continued neglect could not have been corrected by even the most heroic efforts. It is the same in my life. If I decided not to return calls or not to go to work for just a few weeks, my reputation and my business would suffer. If I decided not to pray or read the Bible or receive the Sacrament for half a month, my walk with God would suffer, not because He thought any less of me, but because I had deserted Him.
Someone once said that character is the sum total of many consistant and regular small decisions made over many years. I believe they are absolutely spot on. A student who exhibits irregular attendance and only submits every other paper will certainly fail. A workman who comes to work only when he feels like it will soon find himself on the unemployment line. A Christian who prioritizes sports or hobbies or sleeping in or another object or person, over time with God in Word and Sacrament and Prayer will soon find his or her faith languishing and withering like my winter squash vines.
The grace bestowed in Baptism and past Communion received is mighty indeed. The direction from and intimacy with God that comes from reading the Bible and praying in months or years past should never be devalued. But the Christian who neglects the regular cultivation of their spiritual life through those disciplines given and modeled by our Lord Jesus Christ is literally endangering their walk with God and giving Satan an entre into their spiritual life. Before long, attendance on the holy ordinances of God are absent from the person's life. Other spiritualities and forms of self-reliance replace those life giving springs in which we all agreed to participate in our baptism and at our confirmation. While the person in question might remain a very nice person and a good neighbor, their faith in the immanence of the Living Christ dwindles, and like my squash vine, their Christian witness withers away and dies.
Jesus often told stories from the natural and the farming and the laboring world to make a spiritual point. We call these stories his parables. They have been defined as earthly stories with heavenly meanings. With all my heart, I believe that they are an indication that a loving Father has built his truth into creation itself, that we might be drawn to him, and empowered to discover his truth. Scripture tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God, and the Earth shows forth his handiwork. Even the humble winter squash has so much to teach us about ourselves, and our walk with God. Let us all open our eyes to the prophetic design which is God's gift to us, and let us labour every day to draw closer to him by making those things which he modeled and commanded a regular part of our lives.
Bill+
PS: It occurs to me that there are real emergencies or situations in our lives which on occasion prevent our daily watering of our souls. If you find yourself in such a situation, call me at 740/215-3900. We have a priest, a deacon, and at least four licensed lay eucharistic ministers who can come to your home and help with the watering when real emergencies come into your life.
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