When I was a girl, my parents had a garden of vegetables and fruits. Dad would spend hours preparing the ground with a rototiller. A rototiller breaks up the ground so seeds can take root. If Dad simply dropped the seeds on the ground, nothing would grow.

So it is with faith.

A meaningless faith is dropped seeds on the ground — scattered by the wind or eaten up by the crows. When we don’t nurture faith with study, prayer, mission, and worship, we can fail to take root in God’s soil.

A meaningful faith is a rototilled garden — filled with hours of sweat, work, tears, and celebration. If you don’t believe me, ask a farmer to show you her prize beets. Notice the sweat on her brow and the smile on her face. A meaningful faith takes time. A meaningful faith isn’t easy, but it is oh-so-good. The harvest is bountiful, and when we remember our labor, we beam at God’s goodness and growth in our lives.

by Katie McKown from d365.org