“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25)
I’m amazed at how much gardening continues to teach me priceless spiritual lessons. Earlier this summer, I opted to move a very small perennial from one location to another in my gardens, mostly because it wasn’t getting enough sunlight nor did the soil conditions there feel best suited for it either. Unfortunately, hot summer days are definitely not the best time to transplant anything, yet I opted to do so anyway to make room for another perennial that felt more appropriate for the area. Sadly, during the process a big portion of the tiny plant’s root system broke off, which made me think I should just throw it away. I decided to transplant it anyway though because I had hope it might still survive somehow. Once I had it replanted, I prayed over it and gave it a little water. Over the next bunch of weeks, I watched as the newly located plant slowly lost any bit of life it had prior to the move no matter how much water and tender loving care I gave it. Eventually, all that remained was nothing but a dried-up, very gray-looking perennial. I was about to remove it from the ground and toss it into the garbage when a small voice within me said to give it till the spring to see if it truly had no life left in it. Ironically, the answer came much sooner, as just the other day I noticed while working in my gardens that there were a few new green leaves at the base of the plant.
I think life frequently mirrors my “little plant that could”. How often have I given up on something I’ve put lots of effort into before the roots of those efforts really had a chance to solidify? How often has my impatience prevented me from seeing miracles and blessings take place? The fact is, what I see with me eyes is not always what’s really going on below the surface. Waiting isn’t one of my strong suits and neither is trusting that God’s got everything under control, especially when I can’t seem to see it with my very own eyes.
So, maybe my little plant that I thought for sure was dead, was simply a gentle reminder from God reminding me that all is well, even if my eyes constantly try to convince me otherwise, especially when it comes to all my health issues. Maybe below the surface of me everything is and has been coming together exactly as it’s meant to all this time. And maybe, I just need to continue to hope for what I don’t have yet, and wait for it patiently, because one day it will sprout out of me when it’s meant to, just like my little plant did, even when I thought for sure it was down for the count.
Dear God, I’m sure I’ve often given up on You and myself with things before the miracle ever got a chance to come to fruition. That being said, I’d like to believe that all my efforts over the years to get healthier have been taking root within me all this time and that eventually the blessing of those efforts will spring forth. For now, I pray You help me to remain patient in what’s going on beneath my surface and trust that You’ve got this, as I’m sure you probably always have…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
