Growing Conditions
About 12 years ago a close friend gave my wife some saw tooth oak seedlings he brought back from Arkansas. We took them and planted them all over our place. One particular tree was planted out back near where we had burned brush while cleaning the place up after we bought the property. Another was planted out front near where the old railroad line used to run. The tree planted out back where the soil was rich with ashes and plant material immediately began to grow while the tree in the front didn’t seem to grow at all. Now, after all these years the tree in the back is over 30 feet tall while the tree in the front planted in the rocks and clay struggles to top 12 feet even though the trees were planted at the same time.
Jesus told a similar story about growing in Matthew 13. There He told of seeds being planted in different growing conditions and the results there of. Our spiritual growth is dependent upon the conditions we allow ourselves to live in and the everyday things we do. We must ask ourselves, “Am I feeding my spirit with God’s word? Am I doing things which will grow my faith?” or “Am I slowing my spiritual growth by neglect and over exposure to things of the world?” By reading the bible daily, regular worship, and living a life full of love and good works will provide the necessary growing conditions for a healthy spiritual life.