Thoughts on a Sunday

This morning I woke up thinking about roots...plant roots and the parable about seeds being sowed in different types of soil. My mind wandered back and forth between those two things. I considered what roots did for a plant. The roots of a plant provide support and life as they absorb water and nutrients from the soil.

So with that in my I thought about clemantis--a beautiful flowering vine, but only if it's roots are cared for properly. The roots of a clemantis have to be kept shaded and cool to get established. Once established, the clemantis can survive many different weather elements. And the plant can live for a long time.

Then I was caught up in thinking about grass and how at the start of every summer Dave and I have a heated serious conversation about how much to water the grass. Dave thinks every day watering is necessary. I revert back to what I have read from gardening experts and they say if you water deeply every 2 to 3 days. If you water daily it is overwatering. With overwatering the roots don't develop correctly and you wind up with grass that cannot tolerate any stress. Grass roots need to learn to probe deep in the soil for the life-sustaining water.

And finally I remembered the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13. The sower goes forth to spread seeds with some falling on poor ground, some falling in amongst the weeds, and others falling in fertile soil. It is those seeds that fall on the poor ground that I thought about when considering roots. For the scriptures say in verse 6: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

The seed is the word of God. The root is our spiritual relationship with Christ.

Now stay with me here as I finish up these Sunday thoughts.

Why did those plants on rocky soil wither up and die when the sun came out? Because on rocky soil the water does not penetrate the ground. The roots of the plant have it pretty easy, there is no need to dig deeper because the necessary water is right there for them to draw up. But because the water stays on the surface, when the sun comes it evaporates quickly leaving the plants without the essence of life. And because the roots have not learned to dig and probe deeper for the water, they wither and die.

Our spirits provide us structure. They give us life. They keep us in contact with Christ, the living water. However, just like plant roots must be trained to dig deep for water so the plant can survive times of stress, so must our spirits must be trained to constantly seek after Christ. And that during trials and stress is not always the right time to try and dig deeper, but instead is the time that will show how strong the Spirit already is.

Parents are given the responsibility of caring for and nurturing the tender spirits of their children. We are too help them establish a firm root system to use as a foundation for their life when they leave the nest. This establishment of the roots needs to be done by providing the necessary food and nutrients found through studying the scriptures, attending church meetings, and serving others. However, just like grass needs to learn to develop its own roots, so must our children.

And here are the questions I was left wondering about...have I taught my children how to probe and seek after the Living Water? Have I made things too easy so that their roots are only surface roots--by this I mean giving in when they do not want to attend church activities or acquiescing when one balks at attending Seminary? Will they have a strong enough root system to get them through their own times of stress, doubt, feelings of inadequacy? Will their roots be strong enough to cling to Chirst?

I think the answer is yes for one child; I'm not sure for the other. Being 50/50 makes me feel like I failed in that very important parenting task of teaching children to seek after and cling to Christ.