A Plain Picture. Summer had gone, so the leaves to the tall maple had fallen. About 20 feet from the trunk are too evergreen trees that were planted at the same time. The small one on the left is in the direct shadow of the maple during most of the growing season. It gets limited and indirect sun. The tree on the right gets reasonable sun during half of the growing season. Both have the same soil; both have the same rainfall. They only differ with respect to the amount of sun exposure. I measured them. The tree on the right is three times as high and wide as the tree on the left.
Prime Sun Exposure. This tree is only a couple years older than the first two but its sun exposure is full and normal. The soil is the same. It’s growth rate is 2-3 times the tree on the right in the first picture and a full 7-9 times the growth rate of the little tree on the left. The only difference is the amount of sun exposure for the three trees.
A Spiritual Lesson for the Believer. A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ grows according to SON exposure. The one who wants to know God in all aspects of life will want exposure all the time. Fruit will result. Growth will be solid and full. Storms and wind will come, but that is part of the environment through which the Son will act: nurturing the believer as he walks. Conversely, if the believer separates himself from God in some part of his life, or relegates God to just seemingly religious things, or permits other things to creep in, then SON exposure is reduced. Growth will be stymied. Fruit will not be plentiful.
For the Pastor and Teacher. Do you like to lead and teach more than raising disciples to do the work of the ministry? Then you have a problem. You are like the maple tree shadowing the first two trees. Your love of function keeps them so close that their exposure to the SON is being limited. They will not grow properly. The closer and tighter to keep them, the less they will grow. If you grow yourself and enjoy the Son, but do not take notice and make deliberate attempt to grow those younger in the Lord, the same thing happens: they will not grow properly. But, if you carefully encourage them to have more and more SON exposure, AND place them in situations and functions that encourage them to grow, then they will do the work of the ministry. Yes, lead them and teach them, but do not stymy their growth. That would be a shame. When you pass away or go to another place, I will be able to tell if you have raised disciples, because they will function just fine the hour you are not available. Will I see that if I visit?
For the Parent. You have two functions as a believing parent. First, nurture and raise your child. Second, do so with an intent to expose them to the Son. Going to religious things is a very poor substitute for this critical task. Church and meetings can only do a little bit. The real exposure is at home or traveling: when you are with your child. Does he every hear about the Son? Does he see you honor the Son in your testimony and your acts of love and kindness to others? If you never do this, your child will grow in the natural, but he will have missed the critical SON exposure that will — one day — help bring him to a decision point to receive Christ or not. And, it may save him from much trouble.
Closing. Please friends, believers, and parents: do not neglect the SON in your life or in the lives of others, especially if you are in authority over them. There is much work to be done, and the laborers are few. There are too many churches and ministries centrally dependent on so few that have had SON exposure, but have not encouraged the same exposure to the SON for those who follow them. The body suffers as a result with an overabundance of children in the faith. You want them to know the word even better than you. You want them to be able to follow the Son–anywhere. They will fulfill functions that you will not be able to fill and touch people you cannot touch.
Need a Scripture Reference? If you are a young believer, you might. Consider 2 Pet 1 or the exhortations of Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy. There are dozens more. If the reader has known the Lord for years, you should not need a reference, for this theme is common. Growing in Jesus Christ, being fruitful as a believer, and encouraging each other in the Lord to be edified, grow, and do the work of the ministry is fundamental. He loves us enough to remind us of these things, just like he reminded me when I saw these three trees.
