A few years back, we got rid of all the flowerbeds surrounding our house. I don’t want to admit it was because I lacked motivation to spend every free moment weeding, but that was pretty much the case. Problem is, I love flowers. Hence, my transition from “gardener” to “flower pots on the deck enthusiast” was complete.
It has become a sort of ritual. Every April, time is spent thinking, planning, plotting and investing in the Flower Pots that will be on full display for the upcoming seasons. Varieties of flowers and locations of pots are decided. We’re all in; committed to the tasks that loom ahead of us for the next few months, such as watering, feeding and pruning.
There’s such a pronounced feeling of accomplishment when the Flower Pots are filled, color is lighting up the deck, and the summer stretches ahead of us to enjoy our labor. The first few months are delightful; watering and pruning are such enjoyable tasks. The unmistakable smell of the outdoors and freshly mown grass fills the air. Blooms abound; every growth is monitored with excitement and anticipation.
Then, without warning, the interest wanes a little. The love of the flowers stays the same, but the work of keeping them alive and flourishing becomes a little humdrum and dare I say, tedious. Cares and responsibilities start taking priority; weariness sets in. Work, chores, ministry, and countless little things start subtracting from the mere 20 minutes of attention needed daily by the Flower Pots.
Thank goodness, though, everything still looks pretty acceptable from my kitchen window. There are still flowers in sight, and it crosses my mind that maybe the Flower Pots don’t need quite as much time, attention, and energy as I thought they did. Excellent. I’m too tired after work anyway…I’ll catch up tomorrow.
One evening, after only maybe one or two weeks of what I’ll call partial neglect, I made my way out to the deck to give the Flower Pots some TLC. Upon closer inspection, my heart sank. There was dryness and a death that had come. You could see it in the inner leaves; the plants didn’t look well or cared for. This is the result of just a little bit of neglect? All at once I realized this decay took place even as I watched through the window, and it appeared that all the initial months of work and commitment to these Flower Pots may have been for nothing. I’m not even sure they’ll make a comeback.
My emotions were a mix of disappointment, frustration, regret. So disappointed that my flowers were barely alive although they looked fine from afar. Frustrated with myself for not just pushing through and taking care of them every day, regardless of how I was feeling at the time. Full of regret for the time and resources spent in creating these Flower Pots, only to let them deteriorate dangerously close to a point of no return because I couldn’t be bothered.
As I was staring at my lackluster pot of daisies, God said ever so clearly to my heart: Such is your spiritual life. You think a few days “off” from nutrients, water, and my pruning won’t affect you, but how quickly your attitude, perspective, and actions are able to be swayed when you’re not getting the nutrients, water and care your soul so desperately needs.
My heart immediately was convicted; I knew what God had shown me was true. In our spiritual journey, it only takes a day or two for dryness to set in. We may try to throw water into our life and situation periodically, but without consistency, the quality starts dropping. There are dead things on the inside. We may look good from afar, but all of a sudden the lack of life is there for all to see. It is incredibly harder to bring something back to life than it is to keep it alive.
Not allowing our souls to be fed, watered, and pruned by God on a daily basis costs us something. It costs us our confidence in our faith, our foundation, our knowledge of God and his promises. It costs us our credibility by leading an inconsistent life and tendency to misrepresent scripture. It costs us our connection to God’s power and plan, and our destiny. We can’t tap into a power that we know nothing about!
Now it’s easy to assume, “I go to church every week” or “I read a verse every few days,” but isn’t that really the equivalent of me hurriedly dumping water on my Flower Pots as I’m racing to something else?
We may convince ourselves that there’s not enough time, or that occasionally reading the Bible and spending time with God works, but that is simply not true. It’s costing us something. We can’t possibly live to the fullest and grow without daily spiritual food. Accept the challenge to do something more than a drive-by watering of your soul.
We cannot afford the cost of losing our confidence, our credibility, or our connection with God! Let’s not allow ourselves be ignorant of all God has for us, of all the power at our disposal and of all the changes God wants to make in our life. Instead, let’s dig in and dig in deep so we can live spiritually healthy and fruitful lives.
the grace element 