Sometimes life’s greatest lessons arrive from unexpected teachers.
Mine came from a plant.
A very stubborn plant.
You have probably heard of the Venus Fly Trap.
When I was a kid, I could hardly believe such a thing existed.
A plant that eats insects?
Come on.
That sounded like something from another planet.
Back then they advertised these things in comic books. Right next to sea monkeys and x-ray glasses was this mysterious plant with a mouth.
Naturally, I had to have one.
THIS IS A MUST HAVE.
I proudly brought my Venus Fly Trap home and placed it in the living room.
Then I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The problem was there were no flies in the house.
Apparently, my plant had moved into a neighborhood with poor dining options.
So, being the brilliant scientist that I was, I caught a fly and placed it into the trap.
The trap spit it out.
I tried again.
It spit it out again.
I discovered my first lesson.
The Venus Fly Trap only likes fresh food.
Spoiled little trap.
THE EXPERIMENT CONTINUES.
Determined to succeed, I managed to catch another fly.
This time I injured it slightly but kept it alive.
Now I was certain success was at hand.
I approached the trap.
The trap refused to open.
I nudged it.
Nothing.
I encouraged it.
Nothing.
I tried gently forcing it.
The trap clamped down tighter than a bank vault.
At that moment it occurred to me that this plant had developed an attitude.
The next day, without my help, it opened naturally.
The fly wandered in.
The trap closed.
Nature handled everything perfectly.
WITHOUT ME.
FOUR LESSONS FROM A PLANT.
That little Venus Fly Trap taught me four valuable lessons.
- You cannot force something to eat.
- Freshness matters.
- Force creates resistance.
- Many things work perfectly well without your interference.
At the time, I laughed and moved on.
Years later, those lessons returned.
RAISING CHILDREN.
Fast forward.
I got married.
Children arrived.
Now I found myself responsible for tiny human beings.
Imagine my surprise when I discovered they behaved remarkably like my old Venus Fly Trap.
I could not force them to eat.
The harder I pushed, the harder they resisted.
Fresh experiences interested them more than stale lectures.
Their little hearts and egos were delicate.
And most importantly…
Growth happened naturally when given the right environment.
NOT EVERY LESSON REQUIRES A HAMMER.
As parents, we sometimes think our job is to force things.
Force learning.
Force behavior.
Force maturity.
Force understanding.
Yet children, like plants, often grow best when nurtured rather than pushed.
A nudge works.
An example works.
Patience works.
Love works.
Force usually doesn’t.
THE GARDENER’S SECRET.
A gardener does not pull on a flower to make it bloom faster.
The gardener waters.
Protects.
Encourages.
Waits.
Then one day the flower opens on its own.
Children are much the same.
You cannot pull them into maturity.
You cannot drag them into wisdom.
You create conditions where growth becomes possible.
Then life does the rest.
THE MIRACLE OF BECOMING.
One of the great rewards of parenting is watching children become themselves.
Not miniature versions of us.
Themselves.
Their own personalities.
Their own gifts.
Their own dreams.
Their own journey.
We provide roots.
Life provides the seasons.
God provides the growth.
WHAT THEN?
That old Venus Fly Trap has long since departed this world.
But its lessons remain.
Some teachers come wearing suits.
Some come carrying books.
Some arrive as grandparents, neighbors, pastors, or mentors.
And sometimes…
A teacher arrives disguised as a strange little plant sitting on a living room table.
Pay attention.
Life is always teaching.
The question is:
Are we still willing to learn?
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you