I was working on several things last Saturday. One of the things that I have to do is to help my wife build a supporting frame for her garden vegetables, which has been on my honey-to-do list for quite a while. My idea was to set up the frame quickly without spending too much time and money. So, I used a few pieces of left-over lumber from my garage to build it, only to find out later that I couldn’t finish it without additional material. The project was therefore delayed. What a drag 🙁
In the middle of my constructing the frame, my wife pointed to me an interesting behavior she observed from the area where two rows of snow pea were planted – she was amazed to see how the snow pea vines could, by themselves, find a supple metal skeleton that she put into the area a week ago, as there is at least two-to-three inches in between the skeleton and the snow pea. And, she didn’t even force / arrange them intentionally from the beginning. Our conclusion is apparently the snow pea vines know how to find support that they can cling to, without human intervention. It was an amazing instinct from God’s creation.
As the snow pea is a type of herbaceous plant, they need certain support in order to stand up and bear fruit nicely. Without the support, they would cripple on the ground. This behavior of dependency reminds me of us. When we were young, we depend upon our parents to provide various supports – this includes both physical and emotional aspects. However, when we are getting older, our parents would expect us to be mature and independent as a responsible adult. The idea is for us to make decisions, hopefully the right ones, independently, based on our learning and experience. We will then be responsible for any subsequent results. In this aspect, the independence is meant to be mature both physically and emotionally.
The expectation of independence was found in our spiritual journey too. When apostle Paul heard quarrels and chaotic behaviors occurred in the Church of Corinth, his heart was saddened. He then wrote a stern letter to brothers and sisters in the Church and criticized them as “spiritual infants” instead of “adults” in Christ (1 Corinthians 3). We can imagine how hard it is for Paul who as a spiritual father to the brothers and sisters in the Church of Corinth – He was expecting them to be mature spiritually. Instead, he saw them still live in flesh desires. Then the question is “How can we mature spiritually?”
As is God gives the snow pea to find support, so is for us to find support in our journey of faith. Prophet Jeremiah indicated to us how God desired His people, the Israelites, to repent from their rebellion and return to Him. He said, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 因為我的百姓、做了兩件惡事、就是離棄我這活水的泉源、為自己鑿出池子、是破裂不能存水的池子。(Jeremiah 2:13)”. He wants Israelites to realize that there is a consequence in depending upon false gods instead of Him. This tells us that not only there is a need to find support in order for us to be mature spiritually but also finding a right one is absolutely crucial.
In His last speech to His disciples, Jesus proclaimed, “I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)”. Therefore, He is the right one whom we can depend upon. He is the true vine and whoever remains in Him will bear fruit (John 15). When we root ourselves in Him, depending upon Him in every aspect of our life, we can grow into maturity. As the Holy Spirit speaks, we follow. This is the kind of dependence that is expected from our Lord, my dear brothers and sisters. So, my question to you is, “Are you depending upon Him or yourself?”
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Disclaimer: The sharing is pure from my personal view; therefore, please don’t take it to be absolute. Thanks.