After you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His
eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and
establish you.
(1 Peter 5: 10 ESV)
A wooden
tower of orchids enhanced my patio garden. I moved it to different locations to
find the right amount of sunlight. Even
with instructions from friends who were more knowledgeable than I was, some of
the plants could have looked better.
One day I
noticed a long, broken stem on one plant.
As it fell towards the floor, it split almost in half. I planned to cut
it off later that day but forgot.
Each
morning when I sat on a chair beside the disfigured plant, I remembered that I
hadn’t taken care of the stem. Day after day I got busy when I went into the
house.
The rest of
the plant remained a vibrant green. Only the stem appeared brown. Surprisingly,
after a couple of weeks, tiny buds dotted the end of the broken stem.
No longer
did I think of cutting it off. Every day buds grew larger on the split stem and
on the healthy one next to it.
Watching
the growth of the broken plant became a part of my daily devotional time. God
spoke to me through the damaged plant.
My orchid
should not have bloomed in its pitiful condition. According to the world,
people in difficult circumstances shouldn’t either. I have seen people bloom
who are going through painful diseases, grief, and untold losses. Though
crushed and splintered, they find hope, strength, and peace as God holds them up.
They inspire and comfort others.
Father, thank you for broken plants and people that bloom
because of your love. Amen
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