WOH: Seeds of Faith
Some of my daughter’s friends are incredibly kind and remarkable people. They do not know what they believe about faith. They are curious but feel inadequate in the face of deciding what to believe. When asked about life after death, they have no opinions or thoughts, but mostly feel confusion and a desire to change the topic.
They have a humility toward faith that I have rarely encountered, and it is touching to me. I also feel sad. Faith in this new generation is often stuck in a space of indecision and a feeling of being overwhelmed by making the wrong choice.
Dad, however, would see this as a beautiful space to begin, a garden of possibility.
Dad was the best at planting seeds of faith because he never made conversion his goal. He wanted different goals. He wanted to always bring God to the conversation for both him and the other person. He didn’t see himself as better than another because of his faith. He saw each encounter with another person as an opportunity to encounter God. Something he believed he needed as much as anyone else. Proximity to a person’s encounter with God is one of the most beautiful ways to share our faith together.
Dad believed seeds came from the fruit of the Holy Spirit which are distributed naturally. He did not have to make the seed. He did not need to prep the soil. He just needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the seeds of this fruit would do the rest.
The seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. – Luke 8 :15
