My main goal on the days I blog here is build relationship through dialogue. Agree or disagree…let’s talk! I’d love to hear your opinions on the subjects about which I write. Do they touch you? Anger you? Bless you? Do you agree with a hearty AMEN!–Or desire to discuss why I’m way off base? Look for my blog posts every Tuesday and every other Thursday. It’ll hopefully be a little diversion from the usual…
Organic. It’s my new favorite word. It even sounds clean and simple. Plus, I think I’m at a place in my life where simplicity totally trumps extravagance! I grew up in the fat 80’s, so take my word on this!
Today I went to the local Farmer’s Market and picked up a bunch of produce for the coming week. I love knowing that the stuff I feed my family is not sprayed with toxic pesticides or other synthetic chemicals. Fruits and veggies, fresh from the farm. Simple. — And yeah, a little dirt and a few bugs. But that stuff is just all part of the “organic” experience. Ask any organic food user; seeing the dirt, pebbles and tiny bugs wash off the lettuce, strawberries and spinach and then down the drain, is cathartic in some strange way! Washed clean.
It got me to thinking. In my walk of faith, I wonder if I can apply the term “organic” and still be in line with God’s Word. What do you think? Are we called to live an organic faith IN Jesus? What does that even mean?
When I looked up the definition for “organic”, the three words that were used to define it, were: fundamental, systemic and living. Further decoding of these words to get to their meaning, was an amazing revelation:
Fundamental: Our foundation.
Systemic: Affecting the whole body
Living: Referring to life– to exist
Wow! Is it just me, or does that sound exactly like what the Bible and our faith is all about? Even what Jesus’ whole message is about!– and let’s not forget the mystery of our salvation, through grace! Big, yes. HUGE, in fact! But a simple truth.
I’m not saying that following a life of faith is EASY. It’s not even remotely easy. It’s application in our lives can be down-right difficult! The “building character” part of our walk can cause emotional and even physical pain! Unfortunately, simple and clean DO NOT necessarily equal easy and painless.
What about the pesticides? What things can be toxic to my faith-walk? My best, yet condensed answer would be, anything that keeps us from our growing relationship with Jesus. Whether that means the world, self, or even (..and I’m hiding behind my computer desk as I write this…) RELIGIOSITY! Because Organic faith means Christ ALIVE in us!
Perhaps that’s why for many of us parents and ministry leaders, we gravitate so comfortably into the Christian children’s media genre. Speaking for myself, I just love the no-nonsense approach that a product like What’s in the Bible? uses to teach. It is 100% truth…not watered down, but simply-stated. I like that! My very tired mommy-brain likes that, too!
Most of the time I don’t need all the bells and whistles when it comes to learning about or growing in relationship with Christ. I’m done jumping through all the man-made hoops in order to feel worthy of His love, truly forgiven, or saved. He is my gift. I accepted Him fully into my heart, and realize that He now is in charge of my life– even if my human nature / control freak / OCD kicks in throughout the day, and I momentarily forget.
Grace; Clean and simple, but sometimes difficult to totally comprehend.
One of my favorite choices for comparing wording and having a cleaner application to Scripture is, The Message. While most of us know John 3:16 by heart, this is John 3: 16-18 (The Message):
16-18″This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.
Organic, indeed!
What are your thoughts on this? Is this approach too small or simple for something so big??
