Cultivated for the Kingdom: Part 2
For the past couple of years, I (Scott) have found myself in this place that can be best summarized by the lyrics of “The Sower’s Song,” by Andrew Peterson:
Oh God, I am furrowed like the field
Torn open like the dirt
And I know that to be healed
That I must be broken first
But I am aching for the yield
You will harvest from this hurt
Abide in me
Let these branches bear your fruit
Abide in me
As I abide in you
So I kneel at the bright edge of the garden
At the golden edge of dawn
At the glowing edge of spring
When the winter's edge is gone
And I can see the color green
I can hear the sower's song
Abide in me
Let these branches bear You fruit
Abide in me, Lord
Let Your word take root
Remove in me
The branch that bears no fruit
And move in me, Lord
As I abide in You
I turned 40 this month which has been the impetus for a lot of introspection and reflection, but looking forward also. In my counselor’s office there is the following quote:
“You can't go back & change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” (Often attributed to C.S. Lewis, but there are objections to the proposed source. I don’t know whom this quote originated with but I really like it.)
Living in a highly agricultural region, the seasons seem to revolve around the work that needs done in the fields, orchards, and vineyards. This process of cultivation, it’s not easy. It’s hard work but hard work worth doing. I believe that it’s a both/and process that takes a lifetime. There’s not a MiracleGro solution when it comes to following Christ and being cultivated by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are seasons and there is the ebb and flow to those seasons. We are all works in progress right? The same goes for the cultivation of our intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness, skills and relationships.
Part of being cultivated for the Kingdom is the sovereign and merciful work of God. My 3 yr. old son has been fixated on us as humans; the word, the concept, the reality, and he has been asking regularly, “Dad, why did God make humans?” He’s less concerned with the process of the how but the why. There is this deep longing within him to understand and explore the realities of our existence. He’s obsessed with the deeply complex stuff of life, and Spider-Man of course. Not only are we an intended result of God’s creative work, but we are only at the beginning of the understanding of God’s involvement in our lives and how the work takes place.
I’m convinced that one of the reasons that God came to us in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, was to show us the way forward in navigating the complexities in life. His comforting presence to the lost and hurting (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually), the way he dealt with injustice, the way he dealt with individuals, crowds, and the disciples too, provides a glimpse of what it looks like to follow the Good Shepherd, the Carpenter, the Gardner, the one in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
It’s through this journey of following Christ that we began to experience and see his patient, cultivating work occurring in our lives and the lives of others. And let’s be honest, we all need that work and need to simultaneously cultivate our own hearts towards God, ourselves and others.
I recently read the collection of essays, What Are People For? by Wendell Berry (you would do well to read any/ all of his writing). It’s deeply anthropological and something that is resonating with me regarding how I view myself and others, and how I care for myself and others. As a Christian, these aspects of existence are informed by my faith. So this season that I find myself in, the season that you find yourself in, how do we engage in that process of the cultivation of our faith and the outworking of it? It’s still something I am working out while being an extremely busy stay-at-home-dad, husband, etc. There is beauty in the ordinary and maybe it’s through the ordinary stuff of life that good and beautiful things take root and begin to flourish. And you know what, I believe that it’s in those and the most unexpected places that God’s cultivating work in our lives takes place and the kingdom of God grows.
Onward and upward friends.