As a friend was cleaning out her shop she turns to me with a plant in her hand and says, "Here, take this home." It was a cute little plant, it was almost lively, and I am thinking, "When I get this little guy home it is going to die." And ya know, it almost did! As it turns out it didn't have enough dirt in the pot, the roots were showing, and the leaves were turning colors, but there was still life there, hanging on waiting for someone to care for it.I tried to love it back to health, and you know how that goes with me, I try to drown it with love. Just a few days ago I purchased a new pot, new soil, and went outside in the bright sunshine to replant my little guy who was trying to hang on. I carried it back into the house, sat it down in spot right in the sun, and gave it fresh water. I think I even said a little prayer like, "Come on little guy I know ya can do it, lift those leaves, stand up tall and grow!"
Guess what? It did! Yep, it sure did. In just a few days it looks like a new plant. Its greener, its taller, and it is full of life again. I look at it proudly each morning and say, "See, I knew ya could do it!"
Do you ever feel like my little guy, like your not growing as you should be? I took some thought about this, and I do feel like this at times. There are those days I wake and feel wilted, I feel as though my energy is zapped, I feel like the very air I am breathing is stale. And yes, those roots of mine begin to show! (In more ways than one)
So I think about what is it going to take for me to feel plugged in to God. Well, I have learned it isn't Him, He is right here. Um, its me, yep, I am the one who needs replanted! I need to do things differently in my life to allow a deeper relationship with Him. And its all about spending more time with Him. Pushing the world away, pushing away the old and allowing the new to come to surface. Just a plant needs taken care of daily, I too need that. The only way that is going to happen is if I am turning my face to Him.
Sometimes I need fresh air, I need Son light. I need those rays of light to shine down on me, filling me until I am standing firm. I need to make sure my roots are not showing, but they are grounded deep and and given room to sprout out and grow. I need to make sure I am not covered by weeds that are choking me out.(And that is exactly what the things of this world will do) I need to have the right mixture of food and water. I just might need to move my plant so it directly under the Son light, instead of hiding in the shade.
Sometimes we can feel dead, we can feel as though we are reaching out and nothing is happening. We can feel like we are wilting and no one is paying attention. But there is One who is always watching and waiting for the chance to restore us. He can fill our pot, give us fresh air, and bring color back to our lives.
When we dig ourselves deep in His word, He does more than make sure our roots are grounded, He covers us with His love. When we are dry, He showers us with His blessings that He knows we need.
I am learning the more I am in His word the less effect the world has on me. The more I am conversing with Him, the more I don't hear what the world is saying. The more I focus on Him, the less I am looking at me.
Just as that plant cannot take care of itself, I too need support and care. I am dependant on the One who came to save this dried up, lifeless girl. I was once that plant, in need of so much love, tender love and care. I was being choked by all around me, and He saved me. He reached in and grabbed me, replanting me just where He wanted me. Just where He knew I would grow and reach out to others.
Does any of this sound like you? Sometimes we feel like that little plant. If so, don't let this world choke you, don't let your leaves wilt. Turn your face to God and He will renew you, lifting you up, taking perfect care of you. Sometimes all we need is a little more Son in our lives.
Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."
Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
