PRESERVING YOUR ADVANTAGE

DAY 27 OF 365 IN 2021

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Mark 4:5-6 Some [seeds] fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

In the life of plants, sunlight does a number of things. Two of the very crucial ones are essential to the very existence of plants. The more obvious one is photosynthesis, described in simple terms as the process by which the plants produces its own food by combining chemicals in the presence of sunlight. The second less obvious role is in perspiration, where plants in literal terms ‘sweat’.

The latter may have its advantages, but in the parable of the sower, it contributed to the withering of the plants that grew on the rocky terrain. The sun indeed came up, but instead of contributing to life, it appears it caused life to be lost. The reason this happened is expressed in the text: ‘because the sprouts had no root’. Without the sun, the seeds stood no chance of surviving once they appeared above ground. However, without roots, the sun could not ensure this survival.

Beloved, here is the underlying message: depending on your disposition, what is advantageous could very easily become a disadvantage. The Gospel uses the sun as an example but we can extrapolate this to include our senses, gifts, talents etc. These same things which are meant to be our advantages and the indicators of our differences, could become the causes of our withering too.

The roots of the plant had to go deep into the soil for the sun to remain an advantage. What do we do then to preserve our advantage? Happy to hear your thoughts and comments.

#sly