Cultivating Character

Seed selection is an important aspect of cultivating. The quality of the seed can have a huge effect on a farmer’s yield. Farmers must consider what tree yields the most fruit and what fruit are the most desirable. Likewise you must consider the type of character you want to develop and grow. What type of yield do you desire?   What are the behaviors you would like to manifest? The desired outcome will dictate the type of concept you should plant in your heart, the portion of your mind governed by emotion.   The metaphor for the character as a tree has been unapologetically drawn from the first three verses of Psalm 1 which read: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not w...

Our new story begins with humanity in a state of pleasure but ignorance, as told in the metaphor of the Garden of Eden. In the pursuit of something more humanity sought knowledge and took and ate the forbidden fruit of knowledge of good and evil forever altering the minds of humanity into a state that is not pleasurable.  One of suffering. Religious teachings were formulated to assist humanity with coping with this new reality of suffering.  The Bible, in particular, offered a way to reform the mind through which a person’s character is changed.  In the metaphor of a tree as a person’s character is not limited to Psalm 1 but use sparingly throughout scripture, the most potent of which is found in the parable of the sower as taught by Jesus the Christ.  In this chapter the parable is introduced and the meaning of the soil is explored. Let’s take a look at the story Jesus told. “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them acros...

Growth is something we regularly observe and admire in nature. Consider the great Redwood forests of the American west, or any forest for that matter.  One stands in awe of the magnificence of towering trees and understand that these grand structures did not appear over night.  They grew over a period of years from insignificant beginnings as tiny seeds.  This journey from insignificance to magnificence make trees and their life-cycles excellent metaphors for the process of personal development.    Unmovable and unshakable a tree is the perfect symbol of a firm character. They are permanent fixtures in their habitats. Landmarks that can withstand almost anything only to occasionally fall victim to the most extreme forces. That is how we perceive individuals of good stature.  Firmly grounded, of unmovable and unshakable character even under pressure. That is why sprinkled throughout the pages of the Bible are agricultural illustrations that ...