The Miracle of Growth

How often do you think about the miracle of plants growing? Do you think about all the things that it takes for a plant to take from the earth and turn in to substance and beauty?
These thoughts are in my head right now as I just planted two small tomato seedlings which I grew from seeds into a Topsy-Turvy Tomato Planter. I personally am very excited about this prospect because I LOVE tomatoes. I love them fresh especially - add a little salt and yummy! a delicious snack awaits you.

But as I was planting my tomatoes I realized that I did not have enough dirt. The directions said to fill the planter with dirt until it was two inches from the top. I didn't even have enough dirt to go half way up. I told Joel, who just happened to call as I was finishing up, that I needed more dirt. His response was "Uh, OK. We'll talk about that when I get home." And boy will we! When he gets home, one of the first things I'll probably try to get him to do is walk out on our porch to check out the tomato planter to show him how much I need more dirt...How much dirt that I discovered I needed that I couldn't have predicted.

Now plants aren't the only things that God, in his amazing creativity created, he also made us. Plants turn sunlight and CO2 plus minerals in to green-leafiness. We turn food, O2 and H2O into peachy/browny fleshiness. We also use information, sights and sounds, words we read and hear, lessons we are taught - all those other things that we experience through God that you can see about as well as you can taste sunlight - and we create personalities. We have souls. We have hearts. We have minds. And I am brought to wonder, do you or I have enough soil to grow in? Soil for plants is what they sink their roots into. What do you sink your roots into? Is it shallow rocky soil? Is it a paved and planned out road? Is it choked with thorns and brambles? Or do you have that rich, deep, moist soil that is so good for our souls and allow plenty of growth?
I think that the soil I want to sink myself into is God's truth. This nurtures me and helps me to take the next day and trust my growth to him. I don't know if I get enough truth, enough of my Bible and therefore enough of my Jesus. And if I don't, then how can I have enough room to grow? For isn't that the purpose of the soil in the tomato planter that's 2 feet deep? Isn't the purpose to allow room for roots to sink deep so nutrients can be drawn from the soil, so the plants can grow strong and bear fruit (in this case tomatoes)?

Do you have enough room to grow?