Down but not out

My husband brought me an orchid in my favorite color about a year and a half ago when I was having a pretty awful day at work. It was a beautiful plant and I really loved it. But what you don’t know about me is that I do NOT have anything resembling a green thumb. I admire all those whose yards look lovely in the spring and summer with lots of colorful flowering plants and bushes. Mine looks pretty bare. I do have some perennials that come up each year through no effort on my part, but that’s the extent of my gardening ability.

You can imagine how excited I was that I didn’t kill it within the first few weeks. And as time went on, I was delighted to see that the blooms were beautiful and seemed to love the sunshine that came in through my office windows. So, when I saw the blossoms start to die, I was concerned that I had done something wrong. After conferring with a plant person, I learned that they drop their blossoms for a time, and then they bloom again. However, I made a HUGE mistake when I cut off one of two branches because I thought it was dead as well. I later realized my mistake and hoped that I hadn’t inadvertently killed the whole plant. Imagine my delight when I saw the beginning of a new shoot come out of the plant on the opposite side of the container! And with that new shoot came three separate branches with a blossom on each one!

As I sat and pondered the resilience of my orchid, I thought about how the Lord does the same with us. We go through seasons of blooming and seasons of hibernating. No growth, no beauty, nothing. Just stuck beneath the dirt of this present life with all its difficulties and trials. But then . . . the time is right for us to come out of the darkness and reach toward the light. To again become what we were created to be – a living, growing, blooming creature who brings beauty to those around us. And the only way that is possible is that we were receiving the water and sunlight we needed EVEN THOUGH we were buried in the muck of our difficulties. The Lord continues to nourish us (even provide for us) even when we are unaware of it. And sooner or later, that nourishment allows us to make a glorious re-entry to life.

Are you in a rut or stuck beneath all that life throws at you and don’t feel like you’re living up to your potential? Take that first step and reach out to get the care you are lacking. I’d be happy to be the water and sunshine you need.