Tomato Abstinence

If we can't abstain from eating a tomato out of season, why should we expect our teenagers to abstain from, well, that pre-marital "activity"?

Essentially, this is Barbara Kingsolver's question, in a chapter called "Waiting for Asparagus", in her new book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Says Kingsolver, "We're raising our children on the definition of promiscuity if we feed them a casual, indiscriminate mingling of foods from every season plucked from the supermarket, ignoring how our sustenance is cheapened by wholesale desires." (p.31)

After a year of trying to eat local, Kingsolver doesn't hesitate to say such bold and bothersome things. After all, she's discovered a deeper love for food. Food at its freshest. Food at its tastiest. Food that exacts less cost on both the natural world and our bodies.

So now I'm mulling this one over. Tomatoes in December? Or abstinence 'til July? (I know, maybe I could only answer this honestly come December!)


My Green Tomato photo, by L.L. Barkat.

Seedlings Invitation: If you write a post related to this post and Link It Back Here, let me know and I'll link to yours.

RELATED:

L.L.'s local tea brew

NEW LINKS TO THIS POST:

L.L.'s Formerly Known as Delicious

Suzanne's Animal Vegetable Miracle

Light and Labyrinth

Sometimes I feel so distressed by the problems in the world. This past week, for instance, I was speaking to someone who's involved in a difficult situation, where there is deep pain involved, even danger. In a way, we were both wishing for God to bring some kind of fairy-godmother magic wand. A poof. A sprinkle of dust. A miraculous reversal.

But that is not how it's going. There is movement, but it's slow. And it doesn't feel like enough.

How to explain this? Especially to some of the other players involved, who are young and tentative-of-faith, and really wishing for the magic wand?

In the midst of the conversation, I began to try to explain it to myself (not young, supposedly not tentative-of-faith). Suddenly, a small vision emerged. The minotaur's labyrinth. It is long and twisting, deep and dark. A monster within.

I found myself saying, "Sometimes it takes years for us to get into the labyrinth. Why shouldn't it take time to come out? Even if, today, the 'monster' was magically slain and a candle appeared there in the depths, one would still have to do the work of climbing out... back through the darkness, the twisting tunnels."

And though I was not completely comforted by this insight, I felt a measure of understanding. Healing takes time. There is often mystery and an unclear sense of direction.

As if to seal the thought, my church group was discussing the book of Revelation on Sunday. And for the first time I noticed a sense of process and mystery even at the end...

"The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." (Rev 22:2) "They shall beat their swords into plowshares..." (Isaiah 2:4) "You shall be called repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in." (Is 58:12)

Yes, God can make all things new. But we also have some work to do. And the way and the time-frame aren't always clear.


Candle photo by Stefani M. Rossi Used with permission.

Seedlings Invitation: If you write a post related to this post and Link It Back Here, let me know and I'll link to yours.


NEW LINKS TO THIS POST:

23 Degrees' Learning Healing

Aegialia's Climbing to the Light

Steph's What If

Weeding After

When I see a weed in the garden, I just want to pull it. Isn't that what you do with weeds?

But Berry observed that the Peruvian farmers knew how to wait. They let the weeds grow right alongside the crops, until the crops were well established. Only then did the farmers pull out the weeds.

Waiting. This is not my strong suit. I've planted something good! I see weeds that might choke out my planting! Rip! Oops. Weeds in my hand. My crop in my hand. Why didn't I wait?

Proverbs says, "... one who moves too hurriedly misses the way." 19:2

I consider that Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem, for the promise of the Father. For the Holy Spirit.

Don't miss the way. Wait. The Holy Spirit will come in good time, and bend down to pick the weeds. And you will fall in beside him, in good time. Simply wait.


"Holy Spirit" photo by Sonia.

Seedlings Invitation: If you post something related to this Seedlings post AND LINK YOUR POST TO THIS ONE, let me know and I'll link to yours. A few exceptions have been made, since I was unclear up front that YOUR POST needs to LINK BACK here. I like to do this to keep our conversations in "realtime" as much as possible. Oh, and I admit I like getting a kiss for a hug.

NEW LINKS TO THIS POST:

Waiting

Time to Wait