Planted
Confession time.
I kill plants.
Ok not intentionally, that would be a weird hobby. It’s such a nice and thoughtful thing for someone to bring me a plant, but the unintentional gift they are bestowing upon me along with the lovely plant, is a case of anxiety because I know that the poor green guy is going to inevitably end up in the trash.
Currently I have 3 plants in the kitchen window, all in various stages of saddery (yes that’s now a word). The plant in the middle of the window is the mini rose our church gave out to the moms on Mother’s Day. I took it home hoping my ability, or rather inability to nurture this plant wasn’t indicative of my mothering skills when it came to actual kids. (Joking...kind of).
The plant has only survived this far because of its location in the kitchen window. The roses’ proximity to water reminds whichever one of us is at the sink to give it a drink once in a while. It had even bloomed once more since Mother’s Day. However yesterday it was really looking sad. It was full of dead leaves that kept falling into the sink. I picked it up and stood with the plant hovering over the trash when I noticed something. Under all that deadery (opposite of greenery), there were some new little green leaves shooting out. I realized that my little rose wasn’t really dead or beyond saving, she was just burdened down with all that dead stuff hanging onto her and it only appeared that she wasn’t worth saving.
Hold up, there is SO a sermon illustration here! As I looked at the bits of green peeking out at me from under the brown, I grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and began to snip. And as I snipped, I prayed. I prayed that each tiny dead limb I snipped off would be God snipping off my, pride, anger, my tendency to try and do it all on my own, my dumb words spoken in haste, etcetera, ET. CET. ER. A.
I have always loved the different parts of scripture that compare the Lord to growing things. It makes so much sense really. We are the vines off of HIS branch which will be cut off if we don’t produce fruit or new tender green leaves. But cutting off a branch is much different than pruning.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2
I imagine pruning being a temporary ouchy with a purpose. It’s going to hurt to have God remind me about controlling my anger and pruning back my sharp tongue, but one day the fruit of patience and being slow to speak will grow out of that snipped back scarred place.
Lord let it be so.
I have been studying an upcoming kids’ ministry lesson on Anger and I also read this yesterday after my mini kitchen gardening session.
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” James 1:21
The word planted in me. PLANTED. Boy, is God’s timing excellent! As I flounder and whine after another time of pruning, I need to remember in what and whom I am planted.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12
I wrote earlier that all that dead stuff hanging onto the rose made it seem that she wasn’t worth saving. That is what I thought until I peeked underneath. If God judged our worthiness based on the dead stuff hanging all over us, we definitely wouldn’t appear worth saving. Thank you, Jesus, for peeking underneath and seeing what can be. Thank you, Jesus, for trimming off that dead stuff even when it hurts. Even when it’s more comfortable to hide under the pile of dead twigs.
Today my little rosebush is looking a bit sparse, but green. She looks like she belongs there with the other plants and definitely not worth adorning the top of the compost heap.
Basically the same place He saved us from.
Thank you, Jesus.