Daily Devotional for October 5

 

October 5                                                   Matthew 7:22-29

As a young boy ignorant of the ways of nature, I snipped off
dozens of blooms from my grandmother's rosebushes in order
to create my own garden.

My grandmother's flowers amazed me with their bright col-
ors and sweet fragrance. None were more special than her
roses, and I wanted to put that magic in my own backyard.
Carefully, I lined up the fragile blossoms, sticking them side
by side in the dirt my mother had tilled for a vegetable patch.
Sweat dripped from my brow. Gardening was hard work, I
decided.

The next morning I hurried outdoors, expecting to see
flourishing rosebushes. Imagine my disappointment when I
found dried twigs.

The memory of that morning stayed with me. The lesson,
traumatic at the time, proved to be valuable. In order to sur-
vive, roses must have roots firmly planted in the soil. That's
where the real magic occurs. As Christians, we learn a similar
lesson. In order to endure, our faith must be firmly planted
in Christ. Well-established roots give plants power to stand
when the wind blows and the rain falls. Through the roots,
plants draw water and nutrients for new growth.

How often we see new Christians quickly blossom and fade.
We wonder what we could have done differently. Perhaps they
simply lack roots. Their faith is washed away in the first storm,
or their tender new growth withers from too little
nourishment.

Gardening helps us grasp the lesson in today's Gospel: if our
faith is firmly rooted in Christ, we stand sturdy. Watered by
the Holy Spirit, we grow into beautiful creations of God. For
with the Trinity, true magic occurs.

                                 Dear Saviour,
               teach us to be gardeners, preparing
       new Christians so their roots will sustain them.
      Help us to take them to heavenly places before
                we expect heavenly blooms. Amen.

​

From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C.1989