parable of the jalapeno plant...

There was once a young boy who brought home a plant from a primary lesson at church. Although his family was known throughout the land, for their absence of green thumbs, he decided he would be different and with no doubt of his abilities, set off to plant this puny seedling. He went out and found a spot of land that was easily accessible and planted his little treasure. He immediately watered it and watched it for a time.

A week or so later, to his great sorrow, he saw that his petite plant had been cruelly abused and trodden upon, leaving it's fragile stem broken. Shedding a tear or two, he examined the damage, found a large plastic cup, cut a hole in the top and placed it delicately over his injured plant. He then gathered small rocks and formed a protective circle around the cup. His parents, certain of the demise of this little seedling, instructed their son that they would purchase a new plant for him and he could start again. Having more faith in his endeavors than his parents, he said no, and increased his watchful eye on his plant. Day after day, week after week, he never gave up hope that he would be successful and one day harvest little jalapeno’s .

To the great awe of his family, this once little broken sprout, had grown up through the cup and was flourishing. Having a slow start, it was already late in the growing season and the boy was told not to expect much of anything before the first frost, but was praised for his efforts and determination. As time went on, the family forgot about this little plant, but not the boy. He weeded around it, he pulled bugs off it and one day announced that there were little peppers on his plant. The family all went out and sure enough, this once small puny green leafed thing had grown and had several peppers hanging from its stems.

This past week, the family picked and enjoyed the first jalapenos of the season.

I am so proud of Mark, who has shown me this past summer that perseverance and dedication can reap rewards, even under the most difficult of circumstances. He has taught me that despite my age and wisdom, I can always learn great things from the faith of a child.