You ever wonder about wild mushrooms or how they grow and thrive anywhere? I’ve seen them in yards, our lawn, on tree barks, sides of the road off of busy highways, under fences, you name it.
I personally find them pesty and downright nasty-looking. Wild mushrooms are oddly shaped and often have a peculiar shade of color. I’m not talking about edible mushrooms, such as Portobello Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, and plenty of others, either.
In my curiosity, I decided to research how wild mushrooms grow. First, though we need to ask, what is a mushroom? According to Microsoft Bing’s definition,
A mushroom is a fungal growth that typically takes the form of a domed cap on a stalk, with gills on the underside of the cap.
Mushrooms grow from spores (not seeds) that are so tiny you can’t see individual spores with the naked eye. In the wild, mushrooms grow on both soil and other substrates like wood. No soil is necessary for growing them. Instead, they’ll grow on substances such as sawdust, grain, straw, or wood chips for nourishment. It’s also because mushrooms do not contain chlorophyll, therefore they cannot produce their own food using the process of photosynthesis. Mushrooms use the substratum that they grow on or have a symbiotic relationship with, in order to create the nutrients that they require. Isn’t that crazy how mushrooms have that capability?
Mushrooms can also grow in damp, dark places, and in wet, humid climates. Mushrooms are very sturdy, and I’ve seen them affixed firmly onto things.
My daughter took the above photo for me because I was fascinated by this particular mushroom and how it grew near a rock. Yes, there was soil and woodchips around it, but it awed me to see its strength and durability considering its surroundings.
The wheels in my brain began to turn as I stared at this mushroom. We live in a world where there is a fix for everything. Take this pill for this, drink this concoction for that, do this particular thing and all your anxiety and pains will go away. It goes on and on.
The culture also tells us to rely on our feelings, thus taking offense to everything. We avoid getting grounded in our faith, we avoid discussing our spiritual desires. The Bible tells us that if we don’t have a solid foundation, we are like the wind, tossed to and fro, and can be seduced by evil doctrine very easily. (Ephesians 4:14, Ecclesiastes 1:14)
We’re expected to keep up with the latest fashions, music, bestseller lists, and technology. But nowhere are we encouraged to speak Truths to one another.
I have a better appreciation of wild mushrooms now. They are brave fungi! No matter what’s around them, they attach themselves to something grounded and their roots flourish because of their strength on the inside.
We should all focus on cultivating our inner selves more so than our outer selves because…
- When you have a solid foundation, you grow, (Ephesians 3:17)
- When your roots are in rich soil, you grow, (Mathew 7:24-25)
- When you are grounded in your faith and integrity, you grow. (Psalm 26:1-12, Mathew 13:23)
How are you growing?
Resources
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/where-do-mushrooms-grow.html