Sprout

Once a seed has had it’s time of growth under the surface, it’s next step is sprouting. And this is not an easy process, just as growing roots is not, especially when one is a new Christian. I don’t know if you have grown up in the church or whether you came to Christ from a life lived far from the church, but either way, there’s normally a time when you start to take your faith seriously. This is similar to when a seedling sprouts above the surface and starts to form its first leaves.

Seedlings are very frail and vulnerable to the environment and can easily be broken by the wind, or the people, surrounding them. Imagine a young Christian who just turned from a life of sex and drugs and is trying to get his life back on track. He’s even grown his roots strong by trying to read his Bible and pray daily, but the second his friends from his past find out he’s a Christian, they pick on him, ridicule him, and try to lure him back into his old patterns of life. He’s still relatively weak and not yet built up in the faith, so it’s rather easy for him to get pulled back into the ways of the world…

Now imagine a young Christian girl who grew up in church her entire life. She has the roots, the Bible knowledge she’s obtained from church service to Sunday school class to youth group lesson; yet, when she decides to really take her faith seriously and start living it out at school and in public, her friends make fun of her for deciding not to cuss or listen to certain music. They don’t understand this “Jesus” she talks about and try to convince her how much better Saturday night parties are than Sunday mornings at church…

As both are in the young seedling stage, both these scenarios take blows at the Christians, trying to kill their faith. However, although they may be weak, Jesus is strong.

Friend, I have a question for you. Are you in the seedling stage of your faith? Do you feel the pressure of different people and bad habits on all sides trying to compromise your faith for the sins that the world has to offer? If you do feel that way, know that yes, the wind is strong. But sweet friend, Jesus is so much stronger. His word promises that “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Trust in Him and lean on Him to provide a way out of the temptation to fall into sin, but as you trust Him, do everything in your might to withstand the temptations that come your way. And know that if you have given in before, it’s okay. There is grace upon grace to forgive you. Jesus is not one to condemn but to help you get back up and tell you that you’ll be even stronger the next time if you rely on His strength instead of just your own. You are so loved by a God who sent his Son to die so that you may have an intimate relationship and eternal life with him.