BLUE AGAVE BELIEVERS
OK, so it's no secret...I love cactus! I have a cactus garden in my back yard. Of course, with a pool, some people think I've lost it. But, when everyone else's petunias are wilting and burning up, my cacti are soaking up the sun and loving it.
One item in my garden is blue agave. These are beautiful succulents that have those blue-green leaves. I love them. However, they have been a frustration to me. What I want for my garden is for them to get big. However, that doesn't seem to be their priority. Rather than putting all their energies into growing themselves, they prefer to put their energy into making more blue agaves. They are constantly "pupping"...sending out shoots that will become new agaves. Frustrating to this gardener, but teaching a great lesson.
I'm only a part-time cactus gardener, but a full-time pastor. I like cactus, but I love Christ-followers. However, the frustration that I have with Christ-followers is exactly the opposite of what I face with my agaves. Rather than being overly concerned with "pupping", Christ-followers have a tendency to be more consumed (or should I say, self-consumed) with their own personal lives, many times to the exclusion of spiritual reproduction.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard from believers the complaint, "I'm just not getting fed". I suppose my response to that should be, "How many "pups" have you reproduced?". In other words, if this Christ-life you've found is so great that you want to grow in it, then how many people are you telling about it? That may be a better indicator of your growth, or desire to grow. Spiritual maturity is more than just a constant whining, "Feed me!". It should possibly be measured in reproduction.
What frustrates me in agaves is exactly what I want to see more of in Christ-followers. I want to see more blue agave believers...exerting more and more of their energy on making more blue agave believers and less on just getting "bigger". That's real growth!
One item in my garden is blue agave. These are beautiful succulents that have those blue-green leaves. I love them. However, they have been a frustration to me. What I want for my garden is for them to get big. However, that doesn't seem to be their priority. Rather than putting all their energies into growing themselves, they prefer to put their energy into making more blue agaves. They are constantly "pupping"...sending out shoots that will become new agaves. Frustrating to this gardener, but teaching a great lesson.
I'm only a part-time cactus gardener, but a full-time pastor. I like cactus, but I love Christ-followers. However, the frustration that I have with Christ-followers is exactly the opposite of what I face with my agaves. Rather than being overly concerned with "pupping", Christ-followers have a tendency to be more consumed (or should I say, self-consumed) with their own personal lives, many times to the exclusion of spiritual reproduction.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard from believers the complaint, "I'm just not getting fed". I suppose my response to that should be, "How many "pups" have you reproduced?". In other words, if this Christ-life you've found is so great that you want to grow in it, then how many people are you telling about it? That may be a better indicator of your growth, or desire to grow. Spiritual maturity is more than just a constant whining, "Feed me!". It should possibly be measured in reproduction.
What frustrates me in agaves is exactly what I want to see more of in Christ-followers. I want to see more blue agave believers...exerting more and more of their energy on making more blue agave believers and less on just getting "bigger". That's real growth!
Comments
Post a Comment