I haven’t talked about my forget-me-nots in a while, but I’ve still been learning from the process of growing them the past few months.

Lesson #3, “Diversity”

The third thing I noticed about growing plants from seed is that all of the seedlings looked different from one another. They were all the same plant, but each one took on its own shape and size. Some had a bunch of leaves; some had two or three. Some crept along the ground; some grew taller than the others. Even the same seedling had leaves of different sizes and shapes.  They were all the same plant, yet each was unique in the appearance it took.

I spent last week serving at my church’s amazing Vacation Bible School, mostly in the crafts station. Staying in one station, I had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of kids. I noticed quickly how distinct they were from one another. They had different personalities, strengths, and needs. Some were outspoken, others shy. Some were creative, others couldn’t have cared less about crafts.

They had different needs, but all of them responded positively when the leaders recognized their needs and treated them accordingly. I also noticed that they lit up when I called them by name. They really lit up when I told them what their name meant, like they discovered some treasure about themselves.

Such as it always is growing all disciples. We are all followers of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, but we are very different. We have different personalities, strengths, and needs. A strong discipler knows how to listen to others and to see them, even when they can’t truly see themselves.