I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Shaken
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Hi Friends, 7 years ago I bought a Fiddle Leaf Fig plant from my local greenhouse, and as I did, I did the math. You know the kind: I kill everything green. This green thing costs $60. If I can keep it alive ten months, I will have spent $6/month having a Fiddle Fig, so I don’t have to feel so bad about its demise, and I can replace it. Keep it alive till winter. That was the goal. However, contrary to my track record and all expectations, this Fiddle Fig is still kicking it and is over 10 feet tall. Even still, there’s a running joke between my husband and I. Each time I water the Fiddle Fig, one of us channels our inner Puddleglum from Narnia and predicts, “It’ll be dead by nightfall, I shouldn’t wonder.” While I haven’t grown much in my green-thumbery, there is one thing I learned about this kind of plant. The moment I heard, it I knew it was one of those rules in nature that hits as a true metaphor for the heart. These kinds of plants need to be shaken. Yes, shaken. They need the storms, the winds, the disruption in order to stay healthy. The temperature-controlled, comfortable atmosphere of the indoors removes something important for the growth of the plant. Things don’t grow well in a vacuum. The winds that come outdoors disturb the plant, causing its roots to be strengthen and drive down deeper. You know where this is going, don’t you? God is a master gardener. He comes right in close, His hands in the dirt of our lives, looking to strengthen and prune and nourish us. Yes, He wants us fully alive, and that sometimes means allowing the winds. He knows just how to mature our love for Him and for others, just how to bring us into fullness of health. He allows our feeble faith to be tested so that it can grow and flourish. This is how we can rejoice in tribulations, knowing the winds bring perseverance and character and hope (Romans 5:3-4). And there’s good news for us. He’s not hedging His bets with a 10-month keep-it-alive plan. He’s in it for good, pouring His love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). Thank you, Jesus, for knowing just what I need, and for causing me to flourish. I trust in You. –Anna |
Anna Blanc
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
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