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My brother and sister share a trait that skipped over me in the family line. They have the Midas touch when it comes to houseplants. Unfortunately they are related to a botanical felon. I’m a plant killer, you see. If the botanical police were real, I’d be doing time. Possibly even a life sentence.
I received a plant for my birthday in March. I tried to remember to water it. As I prepared breakfast this morning, I realized another leaf had dropped. Sigh.
If it weren’t for my green-thumbed hubby, our flower beds would be nothing but attention-starved, weed-infested beds of dirt. Every spring he invests time and money to create lovely beds. In fact, one year our neighbor asked if our flowers were plastic because he had never seen blooms so huge for that particular plant. Hubby shared his secret ingredient to growing vibrant annuals.
Ironically enough, I have a nurturing spirit. But I guess if it doesn’t cry, whine, or make its needs known, I tend to forget about it.
The same can be said for our spiritual growth. When we take our eyes off God, a part of us withers and dies. He is our life source. His Sonshine and Living Water quench our thirst and help us to grow in a dry, thirsty world. God’s spiritual feeding comes in the form of prayer, daily Bible reading, and gathering together in His name.
Share Your Thoughts: Do you have seasons when you feel your faith wilting? How do you cultivate your spiritual growth?
Your tweet caught my eye – I'm there right now! Yes, my hubby is the green thumb in the family, and actually LIKES working in the yard. But more than that, I'm there,spiritually. Sometimes it takes me a few minutes to cough up "my verse," Psalm 37:4. "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." I have literally typed this verse three times today, in response to three different blog posts dealing with grace, and now with spiritual growth. Thank you, Lisa, for bringing it around again!
So, so true, Lisa! I get frustrated with my spiritual life sometimes – because I tend to be goal-oriented. I like to set goals and reach them. But faith isn't a "goal accomplished" thing. It's life-long, ever-growing…great post, thanks!
I used to think my faith was so strong–that it would always keep me going–until–until I found out that in one day, your entire life can change. And then I realized it is a struggle but in the end–my faith is still what gets me through.
You too with the brown thumb? It must be a writer thing. 😉 SPiritually I always feel like I'm growing. So much so that I often look back and think how arrogant I was to believe I was where I was supposed to be. It's amazing how much further I have to go. Good thing I have a great shepherd!
I love how you compare our spiritual walk to caring for a plant. I definitely have seasons in my faith-walk, where I feel more connected to God than others. What I'm learning, as I grow and mature in Christ, is that God remains the same despite my feelings. His love, his grace for me is unchanging regardless of how I feel. I'm also learning so much about the blessing discipline and obedience brings. I used to spend time in the Word and prayer when I felt like it, but now I make a point to be obedient and carve out time every morning. It's brought me so much closer to God. My faith walk isn't so much of a roller-coaster anymore as it is a steady climb up with a few dips here and there.