I drove through a new neighborhood where a year ago nothing but a field stood. Now over fifty houses sat side by side, back to back. The developer had planted a tiny five- to six-foot tree in each front yard. Gardeners carefully packed dirt around each one, then drove stakes in the ground at angles and wired the trunks so they would withstand the North Texas winds and grow straight and tall one day… “Good luck, little trees,” I whispered. “I hope your new owners take care of you.”
That night in my women’s Bible study, one lady spoke about her mustard seed faith and how she had come to the group so we’d help her grow in Christ. My mind flashed back to those little trees in the subdivision. Then, it jumped to Jesus’ parable in the Gospel of Matthew.
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches (13:31-32).
I thought of the times I have seen other neighborhoods with houses that were ten to twenty years old. Some of their trees were now as high as the roofs or higher. Other front yards lay barren. Why? Most likely, all of the newly planted trees the developer had included in the properties’ amenities came from the same nursery. Nursery workers surely nurtured each one for several years to make sure it would reach a sellable height. All seemed prepared to go out into the world. Yet not all survived.
It made me realize that we are like saplings…
We all need each other to bolster, water, protect, and feed us spiritually, so we can all grow. Christianity is a community thing. We are never meant to strive alone. We are a body, a holy people.
Though we may think we have been raised up in our faith, we have a long way to go before our beliefs, rooted in Christ’s love, have reached down far enough to support us. We all have a lot of growing to do. Few of us are large-trunked oaks yet.
Church families, service, and sermons, …these all should feed our faith. But for some, these winds are not warm and pleasant. Instead, downpours of negativity and criticism can drown our tender roots. Winds of change, harsh rules, and misinterpretations of Scripture can bend our small trunks to the breaking point. Some people sit in pews thirsting for love and acceptance, and yet leave parched week after week. Soon they wither. Church hurt is a real thing. I have personally experienced it several times in my life and have witnessed others being driven away or shoved out, often by leaders who should have nurtured them when they were on the verge of breaking.
Those gardeners I saw planting the new trees knew some truths all believers should realize…
During the storms and droughts of life, we can’t rely only on ourselves. No matter where we are in our growth, we need each other. We are called to lift each other up, to hold on to each other in tough times and trials, to provide the strength of mercy and prayer.
Each of us has had some of the same nurturing that led us to faith in Jesus as our Lord, but we may not all receive the same amount after we are planted into the dirt of this world. We need constant nutrition… through the Word, intercessory prayer, and the shared witnessing of the ways that God has blessed us.
We are all growing at a different rate. We might face some intensities of life that our fellow saplings across the street or down the block will not experience. Perhaps they have had loved ones to steadily water and feed their faith. Maybe the sun didn’t beat down on them as much, or the bitter north winds were slowed by the house built behind them. Our task is not to judge or compare but to find ways to help each of us grow.
When it comes to spreading roots deep and growing strong in our faith, we all have a lot at stake.
Who are you being called to bolster today? Where do you need another strong wire grounded in Christ to help you stand tall?
Where Did You Find God Today? 