Jesus used nature a lot when describing what faithful living was supposed to be like. He told a story about a man who owned property that had a tree that wouldn’t produce fruit. He told the gardener to chop it down, but when the gardener asked for time, the owner gave it to him. One more chance to stop just taking up space. Jesus talked about trees that grew from seeds; faith starts small but can grow into something majestic and full of life. That mustard tree becomes so big that it can be a safe haven (Luke 13) for all the birds to build homes. All the birds, not just a few so-called special species. Jesus understood all too well that seeds need to be nurtured into saplings which need to be helped to grow into productive plants. A faithful life produces good fruit.
History and personal experience have taught me that there are a lot of spiritual infants and adolescents running around playing at faith but not actually living it. The Apostle Paul wrote about this too – when I was a child, I spoke like a child, but when I became an adult, I gave up childish ways (1 Corinthians 13). He didn’t contradict Jesus; becoming like a child spiritually is what gets us into the Kingdom of Heaven. No – Paul was pointing out that we need to become spiritual grownups. Spiritually immature people fight over their nitpicky dogma and doctrine; spiritually mature people feed the hungry. Spiritually immature people tell those who are not like them that they are condemned; Spiritually mature people listen and learn. We have far too many spiritual infants running around with hate in their hearts and condemnation on their lips, and they make so much noise that it is often difficult to hear the wisdom of the elders.
I don’t care if we disagree, but I do care if you don’t listen and consider what I have to say. Children throw tantrums – adults respectfully disagree. Children want everything to be done their way – adults work to keep people safe and respect the rights of others. A healthy plant needs to be nurtured; branches get trimmed, the soil is fed, enough water is given. Plants left unattended grow wild and out of control, taking up too much space, sucking the life out of other plants that are just trying to live. We all need to attend to our spirituality in ways that enrich the world, not destroy it. Which are you? Are you a spiritual infant, or a spiritual grownup? Your life gives the answer.
Prayer – Holy God, we all need to learn and listen and contribute. With Your help, we can. Amen.
Today’s art is “The Cosmic Tree of Life” by Corina Chirila.