I asked a group of our church kids, “How many of you like mushrooms?” I saw some wrinkled noses, and heard a few “ewwwwwww!” responses. 3 of the 25 kids raised their hands.
“How many of you have ever tried to climb a mushroom?” I heard giggles, and a few “no wayyyyyyyy!” responses. “What would happen if you tried to climb a mushroom?” I asked. They got it right. Mush.
Then I inquired, “Do any of you like climbing trees?” Eager faces and raised hands showed high success here. I reminded them, “Mushrooms are mushy and small, and the grow in a day. Oak trees are strong and tall. How long does it take for an oak tree to grow big enough so you can climb it?” One girl got it about right, I think, “20 years.” That’s a long time, so I finally asked:
“Would you rather be a mushroom or an oak tree?” They nailed it. Oak tree. Deeply rooted, with strong limbs and branches stretched wide.
The Bible says “grow up in your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). The deeper you grow in your faith in Jesus, the wider you can spread out that faith to others, and then the higher you’ll raise your praises to Jesus.
One of the largest and longest-living trees in the United States is the Seven Sisters Live Oak in Mandeville, LA. The massive tree is said to be over 1,000 years old. And it’s still growing! Of course it’s still growing. There is no such thing as a full-grown tree. The day a tree stops growing, it dies.
There is no such thing as a full-grown person or a full-grown church, either. Keep growing. Deep and wide.
PRAYER: God, I’m your tree and I’m growing. Your grace is deep enough for me to sink my roots of faith deeper than they are now, and be nourished. The world is wide enough for me to reach out my limbs and spread the gospel. Let me grow deeper and wider. Amen.
SPIRITUAL NEXT STEP: Share with your group an area of your life where you’d like to grow. What exactly is your first step in that direction?