Saturday Spiritual Uplift

This sunflower seed ended up in a geranium pot, 

probably thanks to a chipmunk. It leaned 

toward the sun and bloomed where it

was planted that year.

I haven’t done much with planting flowers the last couple of years, so I relished the opportunity to visit the local Bordine’s Nursery this past May, taking in the splash of radiant colors and scents of the flowers surrounding me. So many flowers and such a limited budget! I finally settled on some deep pink geraniums for the patio and a potted two-tone light pink for the front porch. Then it was onto Meijer for flats of petunias. I planted them in window boxes along the sides of my patio.

Each plant, especially the petunias, had been outgrowing their makeshift pots and looking rather forlorn. When I transplanted them to a roomier pot and nourished them with fertilizer and cool water, they seemed to perk up and stand taller. They bloomed and flourished during the heat and rain of the summer—for awhile.

Then the weather cooled down and while the greens in the geranium pots flourished, there were barely any blooms left. My petunias continued to bloom profusely and leaned toward the sun. The plants are full and colorful, so much bigger than the little plants I brought home.

To be fair to the geraniums, they probably didn’t get enough water while we were away on vacation, so I am trying to make up for it. Like the geraniums, I need to drink in the water of the Word enough to keep the soil of my heart soft. When I don’t get that time with the Lord, my heart hardens to His Word taking root in me the way it should. I need to lean toward the Son (of God), Jesus, every day.

Jesus made a comparison of life in the Spirit to being part of a plant: Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5, NLT) He is always there, calling us to lean into and depend on Him for strength and guidance. The Son of God is there for you, waiting for you to spend even just a few minutes in the scriptures, so He can speak to you with His still, small voice. Jesus is waiting for you to ask Him for forgiveness, for help each day to live this life. Lean into Him.