Acorns and Oaks

 

Whenever I see a nursery truck hauling small trees to a landscape site, I think somebody is certainly getting a nice start on their yard. At the same time, I marvel that someone way before that had to plant a sapling, and before that a seed.

You’ve probably heard big trees from tiny acorns grow. They do, but it takes time. It seems Nature’s rule is a gradual growth in all things.  

Somewhere along the way, we moderns have lost sight of the value of acorns, spiritually that is. How many parents take time to read their child a Bible story or even talk about one? 

We have the easy option of sitting a child down in front of a TV for illustrated Bible stories, but that should never replace personal time with a parent for meaningful reinforcement.

Children love to learn, and I happen to think knowing the Books of the Bible is a valuable skill. It’s sad to see how many adults missed out on that acorn blessing as children.

They know there’s an Old Testament and a New Testament. They may even know Psalms is in the middle and Matthew begins the New Testament, but trying to locate a scripture is like trying to muddle through a foreign language.

You’re never too old to learn if you really want to. When I was doing a one-on-one weekly Bible study with an older lady new to her Christian faith, we started each lesson by looking at her Bible’s Table of Contents and saying the names of all the Books together.

She would say them at home, too, drawn in by the rhythmic sounds, day after day. Then we started breaking them apart. I would say a book of the Bible and she would name the next one.

No matter your age, I’m hoping you will receive the words of Proverbs 15:32 NKJV: He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.  

Perhaps you feel like a tiny acorn lost in a Bible forest, but don’t discount your option for growth. Plant yourself in your Bible and choose to grow.

Read the Table of Contents. As the names become familiar, call one out. See how quickly you can flip pages to get to chapter one. 

You are now in acorn growth mode; given time you’ll become a tree.