For years, researchers were baffled by the declining number of giant cactus plants in Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona. They suspected climate change, air pollution, and bacterial infection. It seemed that the saguaros might even disappear.

Finally, scientists discovered that for the first 20 to 30 years of a saguaro's life, it needs a nurse plant such as a paloverde or mesquite tree to shade it in summer and provide winter warmth. Grazing and mining had destroyed the nurse plants, leaving the young saguaros unable to survive.

We all recognize the need for special care of the young in many areas of life, including new Christians. The great encourager, the apostle Paul, described how he and his associates treated the new believers in Thessalonica: "We were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children" (1 Th. 2:7).

Do you know a new Christian who needs encouragement and help? God may have placed you nearby as a "nurse plant" to help that person weather the critical time of beginning to think and live in a radically new way. You can offer companionship, scriptural guidance, prayer support, and a listening ear. Will you give tender loving spiritual care?  — David C. McCasland