Thursday, July 17th, 2025
Lately, I have been spending lots of time in the garden. It’s been amazing to me to see all the ways God speaks to me when I do. The way the plants grow, the challenges they face and the fruit that they yield in the natural all speak volumes about our lives in the spiritual. Our effortlessly creative God wove so many lessons into all that we see with our natural eyes. All of creation literally praises Him as it reflects His character and His love for us.
The last few weeks I have spent a decent amount of time watering our plants because of the lack of rainfall. One of the plants I really like to water is the cabbage. All the leaves that wrap around the cabbage and fan out are tilted at just such an angle that all the water that hits them funnels right into the center where the root of the plant is and where it needs the most water. As the water falls onto the waxy leaves it forms into beautiful droplets that cascade their way down to the center. It’s one of those oddly relaxing sights for me.
Every time I watch it, I can’t help but think about us as the cabbage and the water as God’s living water. Do we take the posture of the cabbage leaves so that we can gather as much life-giving water as possible? Or are our leaves weak and drooping so that the water runs away from the plant instead of towards the center? If we find ourselves in the latter, how can we improve our leaf position? It’s really about our faith in God, our sole gaze being on Him and our ability to tune out the distractions of the world.
Every time we feed the lies of the enemy we turn our leaves away from our Maker. Every time we pursue any number of lesser things our leaves weaken under the heaviness of unfulfilled expectations. Unhealed wounds, unforgiveness, bitterness, disappointments and the pride of life are all things that erode the waxy substance of our leaves. Without this protecting covering, the flow of water will be inhibited. We daily need to take up our cross, be renewed in our minds and receive His mercies.
Final Thoughts…
Lord, teach us how to be better positioned and better clothed to receive the living water You desire to send to us and through us. We know that if we don’t get an adequate supply, we will be unable to supply others. Show us where we are carrying unnecessary burdens, where we need healing and which lies we need to resist. We don’t want to just survive; we want to thrive.