Tomato Plants

Let me tell you a little story . . . 

This past spring I purchased some tomato plants and planted one cherry tomato plant in our garden and one in a planter to have at the cabin where we were going to be spending some of our time during the summer. However I learned something this year; tomato plants need sunshine – LOTS of it! I put the planter in a somewhat sunny spot, but in those early days young plants need A LOT of sun. (I actually knew this too, but I was secretly hoping this plant would be different this year.) Anyway, the tomato in the planter grew and grew and grew – straight up . . . like a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk kind of straight up. There were a few leaves, but it was a straight stalk which grew to about 6 ft tall with 5 small cherry tomatoes on it (at the top!), which never did have a chance to ripen.

I also planted the exact same cherry tomato plant in our garden at home (in the full sun!) and it grew to about 3 ft tall with piles of leaves, lots of tomatoes and an overall healthy looking plant.

This whole gardening experience got me thinking about the similarities between these tomato plants and our lives as believers. In those early days as a believer we need to get planted and plugged in to healthy, nutritious soil (our local church). But in some instances we find ourselves growing, but not in a healthy way, without the fullness, depth and maturity we should be showing as a believer. In time we can even produce flowers and fruit, but there is still the missing health and maturity in our spiritual lives.

We can have 2 healthy, similar plants (individuals), both planted in healthy, similar soil (church), each getting sun (teaching), but with very different outcomes. The amount of sun the plant receives each day is directly linked to the health and maturity of the plant. Just as the depth of solid, accurate, biblical teaching, and application to our lives, is directly linked to our maturity as a follower of Jesus. It’s measured by the amount of healthy fruit produced.

I watched this poor, sad, pitiful cherry tomato plant all summer repeatedly thinking it would eventually bush out and produce lots of fruit, just like the tomato plant at home. However the reality is it NEEDS more sun than it’s getting and NOTHING can replace real, genuine sun like actual SUN. All the hoping, all the good intentions, all the anticipation for a different outcome doesn't change the reality that my cherry tomato plant MUST have “full sun” in order to flourish.

As new believers we NEED solid, biblical teaching and we NEED the challenge to grow and mature as believers – just as my poor tomato plant needed full sun. We can never be content with a little teaching that goes in one ear and out the other. We need solid, biblical teaching which we can apply to our lives as we strive to be more like Jesus.

Hebrew 13:9a says, “Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings”

Jo-Ann P.