Don’t Give Up

Galatians 6:9-10   And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Spring is a beautiful time of year. This season, we begin to see the natural world around us show signs of life. The plants and trees begin to wake from their slumber, it’s awe inspiring. The book of nature shows of a great and loving God. Nature can teach us so much about the Lord.

As some of you may be aware, I like to keep plants. I have, scattered all over the house, upwards of thirty plants. I feel they add a sense of calm to our home. Not only do they beautify our living spaces, but they also serve as air filters and promote health.

The plants I’ve carefully curated are low maintenance, but still require some attention and nurture. I make sure they have good soil that won’t hold too much moisture and rot the roots. I make sure to keep them from drying up, too. I give them a good amount of light exposure to make sure they are being fed. Making sure my plants have the right conditions is quite the task and they thrive. But, even with such care, there are some plants in my home that just don’t seem to grow.

I have a plant called a Raven ZZ (Zamioculcas zamiifolia). I chose it because these plants do not require too much maintenance. They’re generally pretty easy to take care of—they do ok with little light and are drought-resistant—perfect for our dim living room. Plus it’s black! So Cool!  I was so excited to get my hands on one; I had never seen a black plant before. I purchased it about two years ago and in those two years I saw no growth.

For a moment I thought I was duped. I couldn’t understand how it was not growing after so long. I did all that I should have to properly care for it and yet, nothing. Week after week, I nurtured this little plant, but it showed no signs of growth. One day I even pulled off a leaf just to make sure it wasn’t plastic all along! Nope, sure enough it was a real plant.

I couldn’t understand. Why wasn’t it growing? I took a chance and moved its location; I brought it closer to a light source. Weeks went by but still nothing. I put it out of mind and figured as long as it didn’t die, it’d grow when it was ready.

Recently, I was walking by the shelf on which my Raven ZZ resides, and I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. A little white sprout. I couldn’t believe it! Finally! After all this time, life was springing forth. I was thrilled!

It started me thinking about the spiritual takeaway, what an incredible lesson. Do you have someone in your life that you are trying to nurture spiritually, but you can’t seem to get through to them? I do. Sometimes we feel like nothing seems to work. We try all manner of things to aid in their spiritual development, but it seems like our efforts make no difference. I’m here to encourage you to keep at it. We do not know what God is doing on their hearts. The only thing we can do is bring them closer to the light and allow the Spirit to work within them.

So don’t give up. Keep at it, and in due time you will see God at work. He’s promised!