There are times when a mystery or something remarkable becomes so well understood we take its power for granted. When we look at or hold an acorn, its almost unsurprising that something so small holds all the potential to become so mighty. These seeds we find on the ground could become a tree.
And not just any tree but an oak tree! Enduring, strong, fruitful, and beautiful. The potential for all of that can be held in the palm of a hand, but flourishing, fullness, and life require more than just potential.
Potential is realised when grounded in soil that is deep and rich in nutrients. Potential is realised when fed and watered – when the sun shines upon it. Potential is realised when there is protection from the buffeting of stormy winds. The strength, beauty, and opportunity is held in the very being of the acorn. Its becoming is held in how it is surrounded and nurtured.
The metaphor isn’t subtle, but neither is the need for us to respond to the young people who hold greater potential than any acorn yet cannot always find what they need to flourish.
Each child and young person holds within them an innate, God-given potential for a life that is enduring, resilient, fruitful and beautiful. Their identity and purpose are held in their very being but dependent on their grounding in an environment that firmly roots them, with voices and influence that contain nourishment and protection from the storms that come to buffet and tear down. It’s in their belonging they find their becoming.
And their belonging is our calling. To hold them in environments that are soft and nurturing. To fill them with words of truth, goodness, hope and love. To surround them, offering protection from storms and influences that want to tear them down.
This weekend, we’ll lean into our calling – to hold the potential of every child and young person – and learn how we create environments that nurture, feed and allow growth into beauty, strength and flourishing in being rooted and grounded in love (see Ephesians 3:17).
