Two weeks ago, I planted a flower.  It’s completely out of character to me, but for the sake of a spiritual take home for students on prayer I thought it was a great group activity…

We decorated our pots with favorite songs, scriptures, quotes, designs or doodles.  All the while going through a little prayer prompter.  I wrote about the needs of a plant: good soil, water, sun, and time.

Well, I didn’t necessarily follow one of the paths, completely out of ignorance, I put my plant on windowsill in the kitchen. (That’s where indoor plants belong… right?)   After a week and a half of faithful watering and no growth (and many students sharing how their plant is growing) I asked myself why mine isn’t.  I landed on the fact that my house is cold (we save money by keeping the heat off or low), and I thought about the sunlight and that window, and realized that I can’t ever remember direct sunlight coming through there.

Today, I picked up my plant to water it and frustratedly noticed nothing.  As I was getting ready to say “I quit”, I noticed something…

Do you see what I see? Look closely…. yes! a tiny little leaf is peeking up!

I got out my trusty compass and discovered my issue.  My plant was placed on the north face.  I was doing everything right, and made daily effort but one piece was missing. Sunlight… As I consider this I realize a couple things.

– We need to be faithful in faith and action… If I had just believed that plant would grow but didn’t water it, nothing would have come up.

– A lot of work goes into a little seedling.

– I can’t stop with the excitement of a sign of life… It’s time to keep at the daily work.

2 corinthians 3:7 says “so neither him who plants nor him who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”  We need to put ourselves in the right conditions to grow, but the truth is it’s an everyday miracle when plants grow, and when we do too!

For me I’m reminded of Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  As I prepare for this journey I remember I need to make some plans, but the majority of them belong to God.  As I make decisions, like the plant, I need to remember the work that goes into it, and be faithful. Yet at a certain point I need to simply trust and obey.

Is there a place in your life where you need to change your conditions to encourage growth?