For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.
During the first few weeks of the pandemic, I struggled to find beauty. As I walked Rusty, I noticed the desert was in bloom. Everywhere around me, colorful flowers lined the pathway. I took him home and got my phone and redid my walk, taking pictures along the way. I realized how the darkness of those early days had settled in and taken away my joy but the gloom was lifted when I appreciated the beauty all around me.
As a result, I headed over to Home Depot and bought some pretty pots, filled them with plants blooming with color, and created a little garden on my patio. When I lived in my house, I always created seasonal pots filled with flowers. But after moving to the apartment, I decided I didn’t want the responsibility of keeping them alive since there was no sprinkler system. So I let it go.
But it was time to bring life to my heart and home. I bought a beautiful plant this week, full of bright orange blossoms. I have to tell you that I do not have a green thumb but as I searched for instructions for care, there were none printed on the container. So I placed it where I thought it best. As I went out to water it each day, I noticed that the blooms were all closed up. Hmmmm. It was in bright light but no direct sunlight. So I decided to move it to get more sun. The picture above shows the results.
We are called to be children of light, not darkness. If you read the newspapers or Internet, watch the news, or check your phone, our world has a lot of dark places: Ukraine, political unrest and marches, lack of baby formula, and the stock market tanking. Sometimes, I would like to fold up like the petals on my plant and hide from all the anger and distress. But, I am a daughter of the Light. Jesus lives in me and He is the light that makes the difference. He has all my care instructions in His Word. I need to make sure that the water of those words soften my heart each day.
As the petals of my heart unfold, joy enables me to share that light with a dark and hurting world. Maybe you need a plant to lighten your heart and mind, too.