At Thanksgiving, my niece gifted me with an Amaryllis bulb plant. An amaryllis is native to South Africa, so they typically grow very well in the southwestern Arizona climate. I don’t have much of a green thumb, so honestly, I pushed the pot to a corner and neglected it until after Christmas.
My husband who could grow grass on a cement block, loves gardening and took on the task of transplanting the bulb in the beginning of January. What started out as a bulb with a bare two-inch leaf popping out, went crazy once it had room to grow in a much larger clay pot. Within a few weeks, the two inches had sprouted to a height of about 18 inches. No flowers have bloomed yet, but I feel certain it won’t be long before we see beautiful, colorful flowers on the plant.
One morning last week, I panicked when I noticed that the 18-inch stalk had fallen over and was in danger of being uprooted by its weird angle and the weight of the leaves. Acting quickly, with the help of big metal spoon, I propped the long stalk upright, so it was semi-straight. I rotated the entire pot to a sunny spot on the counter so the plant could catch a full day’s worth of natural sunlight.
By the next morning, the previously bent over stalk had straightened on its own and was growing towards the sunlight – so much so, that I was able to remove the metal spoon.
The miracle of this plant correcting its growth with the help of the sunlight made me appreciate that God really is the master gardener. He created plants to respond to natural sunlight and water. Plants instinctively adapt to their surroundings, the elements and their environment.
An even greater miracle is that God created us to adapt to our surroundings as well.
For me personally, I find that I grow and mature more when I am pointed towards the Son. It can be easy to let my ever-evolving life pull me away from my source of strength. I’ve had times when the Lord hasn’t always been my main focus. I’ve never completely severed myself from the Vine, but I’ve definitely let my root system become a little dried up and neglected as I pursued things other than Jesus.
As with my amaryllis bulb that just needed to be repositioned to catch some direct sunlight, I’ve matured enough that I can easily identify when I’m needing spiritual nourishment. For those bouts of spiritual dryness, I turn myself back towards the Son. The Vine restores my soul when I feast on the sustenance of the Word of God. Spending time in His presence fills me with new life.
Don’t wait until you are bent over and starving for spiritual nourishment. Consider repositioning yourself so you are pointed in the right direction to receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Soak up the live-giving light of the Son. Apart from Him – we can do nothing!
