WHAT'S NOURISHING YOU?

This past weekend our family took a trip to northern Minnesota to visit our oldest boy in college and on our way, we drove through a small town called Floodwood. Now, over the years I’ve driven through Floodwood many times and the same thing always catches my eye, many pine trees are stunted in their growth, while ones across the road are flourishing.

Stunted on the left  and flourishing on the right

So, of course, when one has questions and needs answers, what do you do?  “Ok Google…”, or, “Hey Siri…” Those sources were helpful to a certain degree; they gave information like there are two rivers that connect nearby and that the area is very flat and prone to flooding. The information seemed to allude to the possibility that the mostly wet soil does not offer well-balanced nourishment, thus stunting their growth. Since I was not completely satisfied with the web’s information, I contacted a friend who works for the forestry department. After he explained that he works more with the social effects of forestry rather than the biology of trees, he agreed with the thought that the wet soil probably did stunt their grow…that was enough for me.

All living things need water, but water alone isn’t enough to properly nourish for a long period. Just like trees, we need well-balanced nutrition. For humans, food and water are our main source of nourishment, but it also comes from people we talk to, those who we allow to influence our lives. One of my favorite quotes is: “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

What’s feeding you; more importantly, is there something/somebody preventing your growth?

John 4:34 Then Jesus explained, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, and from finishing His work”