This
is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all. 1
John 1:5
I received a Poinsettia this year as a
hostess gift from a cookie exchange at had in my home. One of my friends who attends yearly, brings
me a poinsettia as a thank you for inviting her each year. I enjoy it for a few weeks, and then it lacks
water and light and dies. It lacks water
and light because I forget to water it and I usually put it in my kitchen which
receives little natural light. This
year I decided to not do what I always do in my lack of care and concern and
actually take care of it and just see how long it would live.
I watered it daily, but kept it in my
kitchen. It was living, but not
growing. I saw a few little green leaf
buds and watched them for a couple of weeks to see if they would open up and
flourish. I moved it closer to a lamp I
had in my kitchen. I was expecting
something different this year, but only changed one of my past
observations-water. I tried to convince
myself that light from the lamp might possibly work- this is embarrassing to
even admit.
After about a month, I decided to make a
place for it by a window in my living room. I gave up my fear that water from the plastic container it was in would
leak and ruin my furniture or hardwood floor. Simple fix- I just put a large coaster under it to catch the water.
Within a couple of days, those green leaves
that I had waited to further come out into big green leafy leaves suddenly
appeared and with them came some little buds of red leafy flowers as well. A couple of weeks later, I turned it so the
other side of the plant would begin to experience the same thing from natural light. Water and natural light were proving to
work. As I write this in mid-February,
all is still well and thriving with the poinsettia. I have had to remove a few dead leaves, but
not many! Spiritual growth in myself and in my
children can be closely related.
I can often keep doing the same things and
expect different results. I can change
one thing but maybe not fully obey another area God is calling me to in my own
walk or in my parenting. Growth
stalls. Or, I see a little growth and
get hopeful, but don’t take it to the next level of obedience. Complacency or fear could be the root behind
those two.
However, when I move fully into the light
or encourage my children to move fully into the light- not quasi light or fake
light, or convenient worldly light, but the light of God’s Word, His Spirit,
His people, and prayer, I see growth! This usually takes me going first. When I grow, everyone around me gets to enjoy
my growth. When my children grow, I get
to enjoy seeing God in their new growth and then others they are around get to
enjoy it too! Full circle growth
ripples out further than we can imagine.
God’s Word, God’s Spirit, God’s people and
prayer produce growing and life giving moms and kids! I am not promising that no pruning might have
to come- but if so-then you get to watch for the new and even better growth to
come!
Spiritual encouragement from Terrie Chevaillier.
