Growing Pains

A couple of weeks ago Larry and I began the project of planting lots of new flowers and bushes in our yard. It was great fun going from place to place, choosing what we liked best and planning where those beautiful plants would be placed. However, when we brought everything home (over a 3-day period) the enormity of the project was almost over-
whelming! Obviously, it would take some time (days) to get everything into the ground, but we kept everything well-watered while it was waiting it's turn to be planted.

Five bushes were selected to line half of the border between our backyard and the house behind us--chosen not only for their beauty, but also for their winter hardiness. They have glossy, dark green foliage, with tiny pink flowers. The best part was that they retain their follage and blossom year-around. According to the tag, they are extremely hardy, unaffected by the usual winter temperatures of our climate. Wow! What a find!

Those bushes were the last of our treasures to be planted--nearly one week after their purchase. Last Saturday morning when we got ready to plant them, we discovered they looked like "death-warmed-over". I said to Larry, "Oh no--they're dead!" He said, "No, they'll come back once they're in the ground and get over the trauma of replanting."

Today, nearly a week later, they still look like death-warmed-over, and Larry has finally conceded defeat. Perhaps they are winter-hardy, but evidently they were not hardy enough to last a week in their buckets, even though they were regularly given water while they awaited planting. (I guess they "kicked the bucket"!)

This morning I read, "Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done." (Colossians 2:7) Isn't it funny how you can read something in the Bible and just gloss over it until it suddenly connects with your own life circumstances? This verse grabbed my attention as I immediately thought about the withered bushes sitting in the ground in my backyard.

Those bushes were vibrantly adorned with pretty little flowers and dark glossy leaves, when we first brought them home. Now all appearance of liveliness is gone. The flowers have died, and the dark green glossiness has faded. The leaves hang limply as though they have given up all hope of ever flourishing again. Evidently, their roots were deprived of the nourishment they desperately needed, for too long. I guess water wasn't enough to keep the plants thriving. Our intentions were good, but not good enough to keep our beautiful bushes from withering.

How like that are we in our spiritual lives? Do we sometimes seem strong and well, yet oftentimes we are totally withered and feeling like death-warmed-over? Maybe it's because our roots aren't growing down deep into the One who provides the nourishment we need to live the Christian life. Maybe a "drink of water" now and then just isn't enough to thrive on. Maybe we need to feed regularly on the Word of God, in order to retain vitality in our daily lives. That thought was confirmed to me as I read on to verse 19: "...we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God."

Good intentions simply aren't good enough to provide growth and strength! Without proper nourishment, our spiritual vitality will simply wilt, then droop, and then fade away completely, until we look like death-warmed-over. The good news is that, unlike these bushes that will probably have to be dug up and thrown out, we who have a connection to the living God, can always regain our liveliness and begin to thrive again, simply by drawing on the nourishment that our soul craves! As soon as we begin feeding on God's Word again, we begin to experience new strength and vitality once again! And, the more we receive that nourishment, the stronger we get! And, the stronger we get, the more beautiful our lives become once again. And, as we become strong and beautiful again, "...our lives can overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done."

Do you feel like "death-warmed-over" today? Are you withered and dry, and feel like you will never flourish again? Does it seem like your spiritual vitality is gone, and you're wondering what on earth happened to cause this change in you? Maybe your soul has run low on the proper nourishment it needs, or maybe your roots have become "root-bound" from sitting in the bucket for too long! Remember this: "... we grow only as we get our nourishment and strength from God."

Maybe it's time to kick out of that bucket, and let your roots grow down deep in the soil of God's Word, drawing up new nourishment from Him.