The process of hardening off plants is integral to the success of transplanted garden stock. Gradually introducing plants to an outdoor environment is key. Hardening exposes plants to the true conditions that they are expected to thrive under: wind, humidity, wind, high and low temperatures, wind, direct sunshine and of course wind. It takes patience and a little time — perhaps a week or so — for garden and bedding plants to harden off. The result is worth the wait.

When we were growing up in the church, concepts such as faith and agape love were best learned through exposure, mostly by example. It was a time to lightly scratch the surface of various religious environments without being overwhelmed from the start.

We risk suffocating people in their quest for spiritual hardiness by imagining we have placed all the correct answers on the table in front of them. It’s a nice thought, but truth is, the youngest in our midst are wise beyond years because they are willing to ask questions. What a breath of fresh air! If questions can be engaged in a safe calming environment, then such a questioning process goes a long way toward taking our faith beyond walls of our own making.

Spiritual hardiness is more than a simple concept we seek. It is a way of doing and being that allows people degrees of grace as they transition to more stable compassions representative of their faith. While we depend mightily on past experiences, there remains a very real need to continue forward movement, if only to satisfy our human nature and to challenge one another In helpful ways. Such is the hardening process.

Look around and you will quickly discover that spiritual hardiness can be elusive. What hardening factors were present during our formative years? What about now? Many of us are reluctant to share of ourselves at the risk of being dismissed. That, too, is part of the hardening process. It doesn’t guarantee that we will thrive and grow, but it increases the likelihood of a better than average outcome.

We live in times of uncertainty within and outside the walls of the church. If our exposure to the real world feels a bit uncomfortable, then we are in good company. It has a familiar ring to it. Though we know little of Jesus’ early years, his exposure to the culture of the time was immersive in nature and made manifest throughout his three-year ministry. Spiritual hardiness was a given.

From John Shelby Spong’s “Jesus for the Non-Religious’” comes this observation, “I am convinced that a God the mind rejects will never be a god the heart will adore. I do not wish to be told that faith means that I have to remain a child or at least childlike before a parental, supernatural deity.” Spiritual growth and hardening off should be welcome companions for people of faith, especially those who are sincere in their search for what matters most deeply in our walk with each other and with God.

As anxious as we may be to get plants in the ground, there is an order to things that includes being patient and observant regarding our frost-free dates, among other factors. Hardening is a natural part of growing in faith. Can we gently guide one another toward that aim? It could make for a bountiful harvest.