Last week I finished sharing about my Happy Place or my (also my husbands) dream that we are working towards. Literally...working. As mentioned earlier, no good thing happens without hard work, a plan and determination. Motivation also helps. The motivation for our dream is not easily defined. It is a complicated spectrum that I will attempt to outline a bit, but realize that these are all interconnected.
Cultivating a Piece of G-d's Planet...His Way
I always get a kick out of it when Christians try and justify their actions to deplete the soil or abuse the planet (as well as their bodies) with the dominion doctrine. That really is all it is, doctrine. Then you have the other side of those who believe in HaShem and they take His commands about the earth seriously, but do not realize that everything G-d said has evidence to back up what He was saying.
A good way to view the Torah is, "The manual for life." HaShem created and manufactured this planet (and our bodies) like Dell creates and manufactures computers. Logically, He would have given us a manual or "how-to" guide so that we didn't screw up what He created. Naturally, as most people do not read the manual for any appliances they purchase...or take someone else's word for it to get out of reading, so goes with the Torah.
Interesting thought: Based on the above two paragraphs...can you imagine the amazing conversations that G-d had with Adam in the Garden of Eden? Do you think that G-d would have told Adam the real meaning behind Genesis 1:28? Do you think that man has corrupted what G-d really meant?
Thus comes in the idea of Torah Farming, click here. That means cultivating our future plot of land His way. I have talked with my family of farmers and asked them about the practices outlined in Torah. They are much better than pumping the land full of chemicals...trust them on this, we are talking multi-generational farmers, they know their stuff. To be honest, only my maternal Great-Grandfather did organic farming (closer to Torah farming than chemical farming), but still, everyone agrees that the Torah holds the information that is best for taking care of the land.
With Torah Farming, you then must rely on G-d for an income. That seventh year can be interesting if you are farming for profit or a food source, or both. Chemicals and harmful pesticides make farmers dependent on themselves instead of on G-d. They do not have to seek Him for blessing or guidance because it is all in the bottles of harmful spray. I do firmly believe that at some point they will have to answer to HaShem for knowingly destroying the soil (a living organism) and willingly making people sick (pesticide related cancers, etc.).
Health Benefits
With our own plot of land, we will be able to grow nearly everything we can consume on top of making a profit. While eating raw is the healthiest way to go, depending on the climate we are able to get our land in, home canning and preserving is still more healthful than purchasing store bought cans with possible BPA. Not to mention that I will be able to name all the ingredients!
Think of the possibilities with salad, vegetables, fruits and nuts available from your own hard work. That is really something to think about! I am overwhelmed at the possibility of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and so much more!
Giving of Our Bounty
Even though we want to farm for profit, that does not mean we would not give back. No, I want to take the Torah seriously and adopt a few families of widows and their children to grow food for. For those that do not know anything about canning or growing their own food, I want to teach them, even simple container gardening...anyone can do that. I have always loved the saying, "Give a man a fish and you can feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime!" In our case however it will be, "If you teach someone to farm..."
A dream that we have for "someday" is adoption. We really want to adopt more children and give them a home. Right now we are unable to do so, but there is a "someday" dream that I take off the shelf and dust off now and again. How fun to be able to teach more children how to garden and preserve their bounty not to mention all the other benefits that come from having a family!
Legacy
When I pass on someday, I want to leave a living legacy. Through everything that I learn and study, I want to pass this on to my children. Eventually, this land will be a realization of planning, goal setting and hard work. What we learn, grow and plant together will become a reality for future generations to pass on to their offspring. I do not want to leave the legacy of, "look what I did!" But rather, "look what YOU can do if you work hard enough!"
"grit your teeth" and make it happen kind of way. It takes time. It takes determination. It takes motivation. Sometimes, it takes an act of G-d, but that is very rare. I hope you have been enjoying this so far! Next week you are going to get a sneak peek at some of the steps are are taking towards the BIG GOAL!
As you read through this, are you motivated to plan and work hard for the future? Do you have dreams or goals you can share in a comment, or do you have a blog post that you can link in a comment?
