We Don't Outgrow the Need for Nurture

The Five Minute Friday word for this week is nurture. I thought of that word as I read Psalm 128 this week. Though the word does not occur in that psalm, it came to mind when I read Psalm 128:3:

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house,

your children, like young olive trees around your table.

 The cross reference sent me to Psalm 52:8, where David said: 

But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God;

I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.

So I began to research the characteristics of young and mature olive trees. The young trees need a lot of nurturing, making sure there is enough water so that the roots can go deep. As they grow and mature, the branches become gnarled and spread out. They are actually beautiful trees.

Like olive trees, when we were children, we needed a lot of nurturing. As we continue to mature and grow older, we pick up scars and become somewhat gnarly. Yet, God is with us throughout our lives, nurturing and sustaining us. 

We never outgrow the need for nurture, though the ways we are nurtured may change. One of the best ways to be nurtured in the ways of the Lord is to spend time in the Bible, reading and meditating, letting it change us. 

As we depend on God, He nourishes us and makes something beautiful of our lives. More could be said on this subject, but I am out of time.

Olive tree

I'm linking up with: #FiveMinuteFriday