In the original Shrek movie, Donkey and Shrek profoundly discuss ogres and their complexities. However, Donkey does not understand Shrek and thinks that the comparison between ogres and onions, who both have layers, is not as appealing as a comparison to the layers in parfait because, “Everyone likes parfait!”
No matter which way you slice it, ogres, onions, people, and parfait all have layers. Even Jesus had layers. He was the son of Mary and the Son of God, brother and cousin, teacher and friend. The complexities of His life on earth give us even more ways with which we can connect, and on multiple levels.
I also like to compare His parables to onions because of the layers to their meaning, their interpretation, and their application in our lives.
And while all of these things are true, I have recently observed something else about onions. Out of their layers, they grow and multiply to grow new onions. Multiple times. And on my kitchen counter!
An onion’s nature is to grow. Even with no direct sunlight, lack of water, and devoid of nutrient-rich soil. I mean, where will an onion find those things on my kitchen counter? Yet it grew.
This picture is of the second time the onions grew out of their inner layers. The first “batch” went into a pot of Venezuelan black beans.
And as I looked at this second growth one morning, I realized how much I can learn from the onion about my own growth:
• A lone onion may multiply to produce another onion, but there is a limit to how big or how much an onion can grow if it is not truly grounded.
• Truly connected with the Divine Gardener, I can continue in steady growth and bear more fruit—fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of new disciples.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4).
• My own efforts will fizzle and dry up if I am not drinking of the Living Water (John 4:10, 14).
• The deeper I dig into the layers of God´s Word, the greater my understanding of who He is and who I am called to be will grow
• And, grounded in the Word, rooted and established in love, I am better prepared for true, lasting growth (Eph. 4:15).
Yes, I really did get all this application from a couple of onions sitting on my kitchen counter.
What is God showing you about growth? Let´s peel back the layers and discover what God is teaching you through today!
#IronRoseSister #allthingsIRSM #growth #onions