I’m like a plant. Bet you are, too.
Our Bible Study Fellowship lesson on the Gospel of John made a great analogy: plants naturally gravitate to the light because they need it to thrive.
I have to turn my house plants ever so often or they will grow crookedly. They will repeatedly bend towards the source of light coming into my apartment from the window. Pretty soon, if I don’t rotate them, one half of the plants will be bare. Those leaves on the dark side will shrivel and die. The side aimed toward the light will flourish and grow. However, it will be at a skewed angle, and some of the leaves may be crowded out. It won’t look very healthy because the whole plant hasn’t been exposed the same amount to light.
That made me realize I am like that plant. Plants are wise. They know they need light to grow. Shouldn’t we humans do the same? Yet so often we don’t. We would prefer Christ’s light not expose certain areas of our hearts, minds and souls. “Let’s keep that one hidden, God, okay? Not ready to reveal that to myself yet.” I have heard people state they are afraid to expose certain things they have buried ( in darkness) for fear of what might ooze up.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:4-5
burning candle isolated on black background
But if we only let Christ shine into parts of our lives–you know, the good sides of us we want emphasized–we will not grow correctly. We will be skewed. Part of us will flourish, but another part will wither. We will be spiritually deformed. People will notice.
It’s time I turned some parts of myself to God’s gracious light full on, and allow Him to lovingly expose some leaves in me that need to grow. After all, as a new creation in Christ, it is my instinct to turn to the Son, just as a plant’s is to turn its leaves to the sun.
How about you? Has my house plant example helped “plant” the same idea in your heart?
Four years ago when I felt called to start this blog, I told the Lord that He’d have to show me obvious evidences of Him in my day so I could relay it to others. He has been faithful to do that, and this day was no different. Those birds taught me a deep truth.
I watched in wonder at the scene laying out a few inches from my feet. As some ants scurried in a line over the sidewalk to carry minute morsels back to their mound, one little ant dragged a piece of straw three times his length. At first the others skirted around him coming and going. I could almost hear their grumbling. “Look at that guy?” “Leave it to Joe to drag a stupid twig.” “Please, can’t he fall in line?”
Lately, I have read a lot about nutrients, or actually the lack of them in our modern American diets. Chemicals, preservatives and soil depletion play havoc with our digestive track, leaving it sluggish and prone to store fat. We need probiotics to supplement our diet and boost the little nutrients we are digesting. Otherwise nasty bacteria build up that actually makes us crave carbs and sugars, leave us bloated and produce irregularity. The problem seems to be that these bad bacteria gobble up the good bacteria God placed in our bodies to help breakdown the foods for proper absorption. And these bad bacteria trick us into thinking we are not full and persuade us to eat even more unhealthily.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields it fruit in season and whose leaf does nto wither; whatever they do prospers. (Psalm 1:3)
Where Did You Find God Today? 