The Circle of Life

I've been thinking lately about how we were created for connection. To be plugged into a cycle, a network that gives and takes, moves and breathes. We draw physical life from the earth around us. Look at gardening for instance. We place our unused food into the soil, which makes it richer. That soil then returns the favor by producing more food for us to eat making us richer. The more food we have the richer we are. I mean come on... people used to think you were poor if you were skinny right? Whatever happened to those days? But anyway, I digress.

Sometimes I wonder what God uses as His educational tools. How He speaks and teaches His people. And I figure since most of the world is unable to read or write, maybe He uses something very simple, but that we all can understand. Like eating. Or gardening. Maybe He says profound things to us, in a very un-intellectual way. We can learn so much about ourselves in the simple daily tasks of life.

We are like the very plants that we eat from. We too need to be rooted and grounded in order to sustain health and personal growth. You mean all those times my mother told me, "You reap what you sow," it was true? Yes Mam. And true not just of the poor decisions in life, but more importantly of the good ones. Choose right now what you want to come back to you, what kind of fruit you want in your life, and go plant it.

If we constantly move, we avoid the benefits of roots. We miss the healthy conflicts that naturally occur in relationships as they grow deeper. In order to produce a depth of character, you MUST be submitted to authority in your life, and be plugged in to a community. Oh. I just stumbled across a get rich plan. (Without the quick.) There is nothing quick about growth, but the fastest way I can think to become rich??? Plug yourself into a community of people and let all their little quirks and differences-of-opinion rub you the wrong way, and poke and prod the soil of your heart until you are just the richest little plot of land around. I promise you... God will plant some rich relationships in that kind of soil.