Growing Deep Roots

Outside of the front doors of a local university was a flower bed that housed beautiful flowers.  One day a young man was walking to class when he noticed that a cup was covering one of the flowers in the flower bed.  He reached down to remove the cup only to hear a voice from behind say, “What do you think you are doing?”.  The young man turned around to find out to his surprise that it was one of his professors.  The young man responded, “I was removing the cup so that it can get sunlight and thrive”.  The professor went on to say, “Every semester you students walk by on your way to class and dump what is left of your water on these flowers thinking that you are doing them a favor.  What most students do not know is that by doing this they are keeping the flowers from growing deep roots.  They do not have to work hard to survive because water is given to them freely throughout the semester.  When the semester ends and the students go home, the flowers die because their roots are shallow.  I put this cup over this flower to cause it to struggle.  Without the benefit of sunlight and the freely given water, this flower will have to work hard to survive and will grow deep roots.  When the students leave for break, this will be the one flower that survives”. 

If you are facing adversity in your life or feel like the cup is on you right now, know that it is helping you grow deep roots.  The struggle that you are going through is preparing you for a stronger and more experienced future you.