I often find myself relating people to plants. As a gardener, I see why Messiah used plants as metaphors so often in His parables.
Today, it’s a rainy Sabbath. I awoke to the sound of large drops of rain cascading on to the roof (and immediately decided that meant I could sleep for another couple of hours 😂). When I finally ventured to my screen porch I was greeted by the awareness that the herbs I planted 3 weeks ago had been drowned by the down pour. I had planted them in self watering containers and there was no where for the water drain out…
Water drainage in plants is interesting. There needs to be some level of water in the soil for the plants to thrive, but too much water and it will drown (especially seedlings—baby plants). Ironically, however, when you have very dry dirt, water tends to drain from it immediately. You can tell your plant is under watered if it immediately starts leaking.
Similarly, how you water plants is important. The herbs and seedlings in my garden are very tiny. They don’t have deep roots and can easily be moved out of place. When I water them, I use a light mist to keep the soil moist. In contrast, the more mature plants in garden have deeper roots and are not so easily toppled over. I use a regular watering pitcher to pour water to them.
What does this have to with us spiritually? Messiah said He is the living water and we are the plants. We need Him to survive but we have to be watered at a rate conducive to our growth and using a method that doesn’t topple us over. Baby believers may need less water (probably more often, as topsoil where their roots begin and end dries out more quickly), dispersed in a gentle manner. Mature believer may not need to be watered as often since their roots are deeper and can tap in to the reserves beneath the top layer. In both cases however, we have to be careful with believers who have dried out and are no longer able to absorb truth—it leaves them almost as soon as they receive it because they are depleted. In contrast, even well-watered believers can be overwhelmed if too much is thrown at them all at once. This is why The Most High moves in his own time.
