Nurturing Growth
Spring has sprung … and I’m reminded of all that’s amiss in my yard. The boulevard is more dirt than grass. There are bare spots and weeds throughout the
main lawn. The bushes in back and hedges
out front are part dead, part unruly and overgrown. The flowerbeds never got raked out properly
before winter came; they are mucky mess.
Much must be done to get things growing and going in the right
direction.
When our yards need tending, we tend to labor with springlike
eagerness. Do we work at relationships
with human beings with as much energy?
Maybe a connection with a coworker is gnarled and
thorny. Rather than avoiding contact,
might you pay more attention to each other and prune away places where you get
twisted around each other?
Maybe roots with family have gone dormant and your love has browned. What watering can you do to rejuvenate family
ties and green things up?
Maybe a student’s performance has been poor – not much is
budding or blooming. Will you let that
student wither away or do all you can to prod him, cultivate his interest, nurture
learning and understanding?
Jesus once told this parable (Luke 13:6-9):
“A man had a fig tree growing in
his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the
vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig
tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“‘Sir,’ the man replied,
‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize
it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Jesus’ words point specifically to our spiritual condition
and the Lord’s patience in dealing with us.
God grant us the patience to be nurturing and supportive with our fellow
human beings – first and foremost in regard to spiritual growth, but also in
the day-to-day aspects of our relationships as the Spirit strives to awaken new
life in all that we do.
-
David Sellnow
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