In the beginning, God created mankind from the ground and placed him in a perfect garden — or, perhaps more accurately, a food forest. A place that nurtured us, worked with us, and sheltered us. Although we were cast out, our identity has always been one of communion with the earth — tending it, stewarding it, and co-creating alongside our Creator.
From Adam, through Abel and Cain, to Noah and Jesus, humanity’s identity is intertwined with the land. Abel tended the flocks, Cain cultivated the soil. Yet Cain chose to build a city — a symbol of moving away from simple, grounded work toward ambition and accumulation. Even then, the tension between stewardship and expansion was clear.
Cain’s story is often remembered for the murder of his brother, but the deeper lesson lies in his response afterward. Instead of accepting the punishment for his sin or seeking reconciliation and forgiveness, he doubled down — building a city, establishing his own sense of security, independence and distance from God. Where Abel and then Enoch remained grounded in stewardship and faithful harmony, Cain embraced self-reliance and separation. In that choice, we see a departure from the simplicity and care woven into human vocation.
Today, our own cities and agricultural systems echo Cain’s choice: we prioritize scale, security, efficiency, and profit over nurturing the ground. Monoculture cash crops like corn and soy dominate fields, rewarded by government subsidies, while soil, health, and community bear the cost.
Yet the story doesn’t have to end here. We can choose stewardship over self-reliance, care over ambition, communion over separation. Whether tending a garden, walking in faithful rhythm, or simply noticing the life around us, we can reconnect with the earth, our neighbors, and the Creator. Like Abel and Enoch, we can work alongside God — cultivating not just the soil, but life itself.
Abide & Grow 