Spiritual Mushrooms

The other day, our family left the house and headed to the car. My son ran through the front yard and screamed out, “Look, mushrooms!” My bride then quipped, “It’s time for Daddy to mow the lawn.” You see, the mushrooms weren’t just mushrooms, they were a sign that pointed to my need to mow the lawn real soon.

In the book of John, Jesus did things we call miracles, but which were originally called signs. They were things he did that actually pointed to his divinity. He really was God in the flesh and these things helped point minds and hearts toward that acceptance. Those mushrooms the other day made me think of spiritual growth. It may be easy to see mushrooms in the front yard and understand a need to mow, but what about in our life, what are the signs that we need to spiritually grow?

I can share a few signs, but I’d love for you to share others. I think there are times when I feel far from God. If that’s true, it’s only because I’ve moved. It sure isn’t His fault. That’s one sign that I need some spiritual strengthening. There are other sings that show me my spiritual strength may be weakening. When things are always going wrong I may need to work on the spiritual disciplines, but this isn’t a given because things can go wrong for the most spiritual of people. I guess when things are going wrong and I feel helpless, would be a better determining factor. Another sign is if I’m able to reminisce about my personal Bible reading and say, “Those were the good old days.” And if I look at my prayer list and see, “Please God let gas prices stay below $2.00,” that’s another sign. Finally, if it’s been a few years since I’ve seen a Christian in a building most often referred to as “church,” maybe I need to grow spiritually. These signs I’ve mentioned are pretty generic in nature. More authentic signs may be my feeling of being trapped inside some sort of sinful behavior like jealousy, lust, anger, or lack of self-control. Those things really bring home the fact I need to grow spiritually.

What about you? Do you have any spiritual mushrooms?