My friend gave me some succulents, and I have also got some at home. It’s a joy to see these plants with all different shapes and sizes grow under suitable care. If you observe their growth, you might be amazed by their vitality. A single leaf or branch, planted in soil or cultivated in water, can slowly develop roots and over time grow to a fully developed plant. These plants have life, as shown in their continuous growth and change. No healthy plant is static. Even though not observable in the short term, people will be able to see changes after a while.
This reminds me of our spiritual lives. From the day we decide to follow Jesus Christ, we have a spiritual life. If this spiritual life is healthy, then it would grow day by day, and others would be able to see the changes in us. Just like growing plants, a growing spiritual life also needs nutrients. What can we use to nourish our spiritual lives? I believe the Word of God is essential. Healthy growth needs the right amount of nutrients at the right time. Plants certainly need it, and so do our spiritual lives.
The health of the root system is the most important factor for a plant’s survival and growth. Other issues can be fixed, but if the root system has problems, then it will be hard to rectify. The root system is also often hidden in soil. The root of our spiritual lives is our relationship with God. When our relationship with God is good, our spiritual lives will be healthier, and we will be truly more godly and loving. To keep the root healthy, we would need to constantly draw near to God, through bible study and prayer, replenish our spiritual nutrients, and draw spiritual strength. This is a personal relationship which is essential to our spiritual health, but is not visible to others, just like roots are hidden in soil.
May God help us to grow spiritually in the New Year!
朋友送我一些多肉植物，我自己家中也有一些。看著這些形態各異的植物，能夠在適當的照顧之下成長起來，常常讓人感到非常欣喜。你若觀察這些植物的生長，有時候會感慨生命力真是神奇，一片葉片，一根枝條，插在土裡，或是培養在水中，慢慢地就會生出根來，假以時日，竟可以培育出整盆的植物。這些植物是有生命的，他們的生命就表現在他們不斷地在成長，不斷地在變化，沒有一棵健康的植物是一成不變的，也許短時間裡看不出來，但是時間久了，一定會讓人看見它所發生的變化。
這也讓我想到我們的屬靈生命。從決志跟從耶穌基督開始，我們就擁有了屬靈的生命，若是這生命健康的話，就會一天天成長起來，外人也會看到我們的變化。而且好像植物的生長一樣，屬靈生命的成長也需要養分，我們要用什麼來滋養牠呢？我想不可或缺的就是神的話。若要茁壯成長，我們需要按時按量地補充營養，植物是如此，屬靈生命也是一樣。
一棵植物是否能夠存活下來，並且健康成長，它的根係統是否健康是最重要的。在植物生長的過程中，別的問題可能還有辦法解決，若是根係統出了問題，就很難補救了。並且，根係統通常是在土壤裡，那看不見的地方。我們屬靈生命的根，就是我們與神的關係。我們與神的關係越好，我們的靈命越健康，我們表現出來的也是真正的敬虔和愛主。若要使這根能夠強壯，我們就需要常常親近神，補充屬靈的養分，透過靈修讀經禱告，與神親密，支取靈裡的力量。這是一項個人化的關係，外人不一定看得到，好像根埋在土壤裡，卻決定了我們的靈命是否健康，是否可以持續成長。願神幫助我們，在新的一年裡，靈命成長興盛。
