fruitfulness

[sutz]

For awhile on the farm on which I grew up, we had two sheep. I can picture my dad being butted in the head by a sheep that didn't want to be caught. Though we let their fleece grow too long, we did somehow shear these two sheep at some point. The abundant wool was taken to the woolen mills near Carstairs for cleaning and carding (I was a bit stunned to discover that there was such a thing near us in cattle country). The wool was used in 3 quilts, 2 of which I now own. There were two quilts with 2 pounds of wool; they are terrific winter bedding. The first quilt we made at home with a large frame and a quilting bee (a number of women gather and sew bits of cloth together to construct the quilt). I might have been about 12, and it was my job to sit under the framed quilt (about 2.5 feet off the ground) and pass the needle back up through the quilt. This quilt was made with a whopping 4 pounds of wool, and I've never been able to sleep under it, not even in -40 degree weather (although it would probably be great for sleeping outside in those temeeratures)! I've always been amazed by how much wool and how much warmth those two sheep produced, and so passively.

I have certainly confused productivity on a spiritual level with busyness and activity. My workaholic tendencies mean that I always prefer accomplishing things, value getting things done, and keep myself and those around me busy. And yet the wool produced by sheep is not the result of hyperactivity, nor is the fruit of the Spirit grown through intentional spiritual cultivation. It is simply the result of being "in Christ." I recall reading that Corrie ten Boom said that "busyness is moral sloth in the spiritual life." That in fact, being busy is counterproductive to spiritual growth. I wonder how much real fruit I have not developed because I have been too busy attempting to grow some artificial fruit.

Our culture is against us in this. Everyone is busy, and as a culture we value activity, we value fulfilment over family, we value reaching our potential over being with others, etc. A pastor I once worked with said, that if we clear the church calendars so that people won't be busy with church activities, in 6 months, their schedules will be filled with other things. And I think he was right. He wasn't advocating activity for its own sake, but for discipleship, community and outreach. How do we model and encourage others in biblical simplicity, in Sabbath, and in allowing the Spirit to work through us?