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"Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief."
-- C.S. Lewis
About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 350 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Mustard Seeds
Anyone who has any familiarity at all with the Bible has probably heard of the Matthew 17:20 verse that talks about faith the size of a mustard seed being able to move mountains. If you're not familiar, here's it is from the New International Version:
He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
It's a popular verse, and one that has a whole lot of different kinds of interpretations. Some have interpreted it to be an example of signs and wonders, where the littlest amount of faith can catalyze actual monumental miracles in the physical world. Others have interpreted it as a sign of God's power, where if you believe in him, he can move metaphorical mountains with that faith. And others still have taken a more scientific approach and argued that the passage is a commentary on the fact that mustard plants are an invasive species and so planting mustard seeds can literally change the topography of a place if left unchecked, because it disrupts the ecosystem.
Personally, I don't know which interpretation is correct. Maybe they all are. The thing I'm more interested in is the fact that in order for anything at all to happen, you first have to bring some tiny mustard seeds into the equation. The passage doesn't say you can accomplish things with no faith at all. It doesn't say that a mountain will move just because you want it to. It says that nothing is impossible if you have even just a tiny bit of faith.
I wonder, sometimes, how often we truly understand that. How concepts like tenacity and hard work and faith make intellectual sense to us even as we sit around wondering why our prayers don't get answered or our dreams don't come true or our goals don't get met even while we fail to put in any of our own effort. And I'm certainly not exempt from this. There have been a number of seasons in my life (including some that are quite recent) where I have found myself wishing and hoping for something to change without actually being willing to put in any of the work to make that happen. I just wanted things to change of their own accord.
Whether we're talking about something as grand as the faith to make earth-shattering change in the world, or something as simple as just finding the motivation to write or achieve a personal goal, the first step is bringing seeds to plant. Most big tasks require you to start somewhere and start small. Any writer who has a 5,000-words-a-day writing habit almost certainly started with a much smaller goal and worked up to their current levels of productivity. Anyone who has lost tens or even hundreds of pounds started by only losing a few at first. Any as almost anyone who has prayed big prayers can attest, sometimes those big prayers get answered in smaller more incremental steps along a longer-than-anticipated journey.
In our spiritual and physical goals alike, you first have to believe you can do it. Then you have to put in the work, one day at a time. If you can do that work, day after day, hitting incremental goal after incremental goal, you might just find that after a while, you've managed to move a mountain.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations"
"New & Noteworthy Things"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
I also encourage you to check out the following items:
EXCERPT: I am on a mission to recover my soul. It has been very very painful for me of late. My journey started well enough. I was all about reflecting with the Biblical writer, " what are you doing here"? I came to the conclusion after preaching a sermon with that title a little over six years ago. I was emboldened to leave my kids and grandkids who I loved a great deal, so that I could take care of my wife who was having health problems. Her family was in Erie and it seemed the right thing to do. I was even willing to invest about 10,000 dollars that came from my mom's estate. There was a job waiting for me, so I thought, what did I have to lose.
EXCERPT: Unloading the U-Haul, Annie noticed a small, elegant woman with a cap of silvery hair, looking at her over the next door;s fence.
"Hi. I'm Mrs. Warwick. I just baked these cookies and want to welcome you to the neighborhood," she said, handing Annie a plate.
Annie, touched at the kindness, invited her in for a cup of coffee and to share the cookies.
As the afternoon wore on, Mrs. Warwick and Annie began what would become a strong friendship.
When Mike got home from work, he was delighted to meet Mrs. Warwick.
"Well, I'd better let you get on with your supper." Mrs. Warwick said. "I'll be going. I'm just over the fence if you need anything. So very glad to have you as my neighbors."
"What a kind lady." Said Mike.
From that day forward, Mrs. Warwick became their family. Mike's parents lived far away and Annie had no family. They appreciated the warmth and the love Mrs. Warwick showed them.
As the weeks passed, Annie noticed a doctor, visiting Mrs. Warwick. Concerned, she picked some of her favorite flowers and went next door. When Mrs. Warwick opened the door, Annie could see she was pale and had lost some weight.
EXCERPT: There are several books that I return to again and again when I feel the need to gain a deeper understanding of God and His church and His children. This need comes from the promptings we all feel when a spiritual course correction is in order- the same thoughts that tell a pilot he needs to adjust his vessel more to the north or the east. And every time I read one of these books, I find my views of what is sacred enhanced and deepened- and sometimes even corrected.
EXCERPT: Guard your heart!
It's you most vulnerable part!
It's true! Nine out of every ten
Of those things that we call men,
Are not who they claim to be,
Just watch and listen and you will see.
EXCERPT: The Buddha cat
Was more than simply a cat
That lives in a typical
Suburban townhouse. |
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (June 15, 2022)" about thoughts and prayers:
Mary Ann MCPhedran  writes: Hi
Mia - craving colour  writes: Hi Jeff, It was interesting to read your editorial thoughts and prayers and therapy. Years ago, one of my friends related a conversation she had with a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist told her that to stay sane, you either need to see someone or write a book. That stayed with me, as it points to our need for personal reflection. And that’s where writer’s may have an edge. Journalling is a wonderful way to bring the inward workings to the surface. I think of journals as a way of ‘detoxing’. Thanks for bringing this back into focus.
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Spiritual: July 13, 2022 Issue [#11463]
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