It is 1255pm and I have decided to write. Growing deeper in faith. What does that mean? How does understanding what that means help us? Firstly it tells me that faith is something that grows. I cannot plant a seed today and expect it to be a mature plant by tomorrow and bearing fruit. Faith requires patience. Faith requires daily work. Faith will have to stand against the elements. Faith will be tested. Also faith is something that lives within us. Faith is something to be lived. We cannot just speak faith, we must live it. Faith must guide our thoughts and actions. Faith is a journey. The further along we travel on this faith journey, the more clear things become. Faith brings clarity. Also faith has depth. Faith is not one dimensional or one sided.
My friend says that growing deeper in faith is not simply about believing more. It is about becoming more rooted in God, more mature in our understanding, and more consistent in the way we live. The question we must ask ourselves is this: Am I simply professing faith, or am I allowing my faith to grow, take root, and produce fruit in my life? What does the fruits of faith look like? For me faith means not being easily shaken by this worldly life. What is the purpose of fruit? Fruit provides food and nourishment as well as new seeds that create new plants and new sources of food. Faith has to be shared. Faith brings abundance. This reminds me of the surah about abundance. The shortest surah of just three verses.
What does the surah teach us? Firstly that abundance begins with recognizing what God has given us. Not only material things but also faith, wisdom, knowledge, love, guidance and things of that sort. Secondly that gratitude should lead to worship. We worship God so that we do not worship things of this world. Money, status, positions, title, fame and things of that sort. Thirdly, we should not allow opposition to define our worth. It teaches us not to measure our worth by the opinions of those who oppose us. In Trinidad we say that people do not pelt mango trees that have no fruit. My friend now asks, are we so focused on what we do not have that we fail to recognize the abundance that God has already placed in our lives? We should focus on the fruits on our branches and not the fruits on the next tree. Growing deeper in faith means going within and looking at ourselves in the mirror and looking for ways we can become better. Abundance through betterment. Betterment leads to heaven. The fruits of our labour are in heaven.
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