The Bible

 

Genesis 1:12

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12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Commentary

 

Seven Practices of Peace - Part 3 of 7 – Cultivating

By Todd Beiswenger


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It's easy to dream big, but it is hard to actually DO big. As we embark on a new life, we need to cultivate new habits. The most sucessful way to do this is start with a tiny habit, much like how Scriptures say the first vegetation to turn up was "tender herbs", i.e. small plants. Taking care of small plants will lead to bigger ones, and eventually they're bear the fruit of our dreams.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 29 [1-2], 8093; Exodus 13:17-19; Genesis 1:9-14)

Commentary

 

Fruit

  
Apples at the farm market

We tend to think of "fruit" in two ways in natural language. One is as food that grows on trees and vines, sweet and delicious, and able to be eaten without harming the plant in any way. Another is as the things we produce, what our work yields for the betterment of the world. These are obviously connected: we are like trees, producing things that "feed" the world in some way, just as the tree produces fruit that feeds us. It makes sense, then, that the idea of fruit in the Bible is bound closely to the idea of goodness. Fruits that are eaten represent the desire for good and the energy to do what is good; fruit that is produced is the actual good that we go into the world and do.