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We all need reminders. I need them now more than ever as "baby brain" has taken over and my memory just doesn't seem to be what it used to be. Having little reminders around the house can help keep the important things top of mind: whether it's a sticky note on the bathroom mirror or an alarm set on your phone, reminders are helpful for even the most trained minds.
Today, I want you to build a connection in your head between a household chore and a spiritual imperative: watering your plants and spending time with God.
I love to have plants around the house. They brighten our home and clean our air. Like many, I used to suffer from chronic house-plant-killer disease. Every time I'd bring one home, it was like a ticking time bomb until it met its dry and underwatered fate. That is, until I got a peace lily. I must say, it is a rather dramatic plant. Whenever it is even a little bit thirsty, it very dramatically droops its leaves like it is about to die. However, as soon as I water it, it springs back up to its happy, perky self within a couple hours. This sudden, dramatic drooping helps remind me to water it and all the other plants when the peace lily looks a bit sad.
A friend of ours came to dinner and saw my peace lily looking healthy. He told my husband that he was doing a good job. I was confused by this reaction because I am the one who typically cares for the house plants. He explained with a smile that years ago, a woman from Eastern Europe gave everyone in their home group a peace lily. In her culture, people say that the health of this plant is representative of the happiness and well being of the woman of the house. The connection? If the woman is happy and well, she is able to care for the plant. If not, the plant suffers as she suffers. Every time this lady would visit them, she would peer over with curious and judgmental eyes to the plant and ensure that it was doing well. Our friend joked that everyone in their home group was henceforth paranoid about keeping their plant healthy out of fear that this woman would come visit and judge the men for not caring for their wives well enough!
Our souls are like the peace lily. We need to regularly be "watered" and filled by spending time with the Lord. When we don't, the effect can be immediately seen, even if you don't realize it. Spending time with the Lord makes us more like him, centers our hearts on truth and aligns our desires with His. It gives us the spiritual food we need to endure all that life may bring and fulfill our God-given purpose. Do you feel dry? It isn't because your week was too busy. It's because you haven't prioritized time with the Lord to fill you up.
Psalm 42 says, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" Oh, how we need him! As a deer desperately needs to drink from the stream, as my peace lily needs to regularly be watered, so we so deeply need to be filled by spending time with Jesus.
"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water." (Psalm 63:1) Our souls thirst for the Lord. Our souls will always be unsatisfied until we are satisfied by the One who made our souls.
Every time that you need to fill that can and pour water into your plants, let it be a reminder that you too have a deep and desperate need to have your spiritual thirst quenched anew every day with living water.
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