One looks out at a field with an impoverished harvest to come, and knows something is lacking for the benefit of the plant. Whether it be drought or nutrient, if the seeded field doesn’t have what the plants need for healthy production no wishful thinking is going to create a good crop. However, to look over a field that is lush, and swelled with ripened grain, a celebratory attitude already wells up, even before the harvesting begins. That is a picture of hope and faith. In our relationships, when we see a person who is younger in the Lord than us developing an understanding of the Spirit’s role and their giftedness, we feel that same sense of celebration. The evidence of a well-lived life-to-come nearly makes us cheer.
And yet…what soreness of heart can come upon us when we see someone who seemingly was fully engaged in a life of faith suddenly (or not so) turn away from vibrant engagement in faith pursuits. What happened, what was lacking in their spiritual development, what form of ‘turning back’ took place that caused them to give up? Was there something we could have done, or not done, that would have helped. Could there have been a wrong emphasis on only one part of the spiritual journey? Did they have healthy examples of mature faith? It is not for us to know, really, and when faced with these thoughts, one can only submit themselves in prayer to the Lord to see if there was any personal lack. What would cause a person to, having put their hands to the plough of faith, turn back, is of their own choice. We might suspect that there were improper motivations or continued doubts, even addictions that trespassed into their convictions, that brought them to that point. Again, it is not for us to know.
What we do know, or should, is that we are not to turn back. These were the words of one of Jesus’ most vibrant calls to faith. We are to proclaim that the kingdom of God is here presently, that we are not to find ourselves too comfortable in this earthly living that we would be prone to be distracted from faithfully pursuing our God. To look back would be to deny all the Lord has brought us through and the crop that has been and is being brought forth through and in us by the Spirit. That forgetfulness would be the same as the Israelites permitted in their own lives. They forgot the personal, intimate fellowship with Yahweh that they were called to live out, and thus went after other gods. So too we. This is why we are called to the Altar, the Table of the Lord, to once again receive from the Lord his body and blood. In remembrance of all he has done, we celebrate an ongoing presence through his Spirit. In remembering, our vision is refocused on the course of our ploughing. The furrows we leave behind us are straighter because our eyes are set on the goal of our faith, Jesus Christ.