I watered my plants yesterday. This is a good thing as I tend to forget about them until their droopiness beckons, or is it begs, for me to think of them.
The funny thing about my plants is that one of them is a constant, almost daily, reminder to pray for my loved ones.
A little over fifteen years ago, we went to New Jersey to help family members pack for their move to Florida. They were going to throw away this plant as they weren’t going to pack it on the moving truck, and felt like the plant was dying anyway.
I am sentimental, probably to a fault, and in the moment the plant became important to save. Along with a few pieces of furniture and several boxes of Christmas ornaments, the plant was thrown in the back of our pick up truck. I was told, “If it survives the four hour ride home, you can keep it.”
It was a cold and snowy day early in December when the plant took the ride home with us. It was unprotected and in the elements of the winter weather.
There were times, I wondered if the plant would survive. There were times, I wondered if I was being silly trying to coax it back to life.
But fifteen years later and it is not only still with me,
the plant is thriving!
It has been a slow growth, but this week I noticed it is now growing quite healthily, steadily, and more than ever before. The plant has brought a few lessons to mind:
- Growth can be slow. We don’t all grow at the same pace. We can be impatient, wanting to see progress that meets our expectations. Sometimes growth takes time, it is a process.
- Growth takes work. In order for growth and health, the plant has required some work. It needed tending. It has been watered and fertilized. Sometimes growth will require us to put in effort.
- Growth requires the correct environment. The plant needed to moved out of the harsh elements and into the sunlight. Only with prolonged time, in the right spot, did it begin over time to experience growth.
Besides the lessons on growth, the little plant served an even greater purpose as each time I watered it, my thoughts turned towards my loved ones in prayer.
 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.” (Philippians 1:3-4, NASB)
“I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers.” (Philemon 1:4, NASB)
“I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly.”
(Ephesians 1:16, NLT)
Are there reminders the Lord places in front of you to turn your thoughts towards prayer? Pay attention as it may be something as little as a plant.
In this beautiful post, Paula Short shares a memory of a kindness she has never forgotten. “We might never know if we’ve been a blessing to someone. But God does.” Read her full post HERE.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you. If you share on social media, the hashtag #LetsHaveCoffee would be greatly appreciated!
Today I am joining …
Enjoying my coffee and thanking God for your faithfulness this morning, Joanne!
That’s so true that growth can be slow. I just read a missionary post earlier this week telling stories of people who seemed to fall away, but in reality were just battling hardships we can hardly conceive of.
I don’t often use visual cues ad reminders to pray, but I should.
Aww! What a sweet story of growing slow and lessons from a plant. I use insomnia as a reminder to pray for people””I often drift back to sleep whilst praying for loved ones. I also pray every time I pass the scene of a car wreck.
Yes(!), I usually fall asleep praying for others as well. Sirens and car accidents are also cues to pray. Amazing how God moves us to pray in more ways than we realize.
Joanne, a lovely post! That plant looks like a Peace lily, I have several of those. I wrote a post about what I learned from a dying plant about one of my Peace lilies and what it taught me about resilience and waiting. Isn’t it a blessing the way God teaches us things through His creation?
It is a peace lily and it makes me so happy when the flower appears. I have found God teaches me through His creation in so many ways.
Love that you rescued the plant and then used it as a reminder to pray for its original owners!
Yes, it is so true. Growth is slow; but since it is so slow and happens incrementally, we can look back and be amazed that it happened. It just seemed overnight.
What a great lesson. I love that it is now a trigger to pray.
My dentist has this same plant in his waiting room and it is huge. It is my goal 🙂
I have a soft spot for plants. I can never throw one out unless it is obviously completely dead. lol. I’m glad yours survived so many years! Great lessons from that plant. Thanks for sharing them with us, Joanne.
Lisa, you made me smile this morning. I have a plant on my back deck this very minute waiting to be discarded. It is dead as a door nail but it took me months to admit it.
Joanne, I loved this. It’s fun when we see growth in plants. 🙂 God has been bringing prayer to my mind a lot lately. I have certain pictures, or even places, that remind me to pray for family, friends, and people around me.
I love your plant reminder! I have weather alerts turned on in my phone from a trip to see my son. I keep them on because it’s a reminder to pray for them!
I am sentimental about plants too, Joanne. I can’t stand to throw any of them out. I like to think I am showing the same grace we are shown, giving the plants chance after chance after chance. Any reminder to pray is a good one!
Wow, Joanne … what a lovely story about faithfulness and tangible prayer prompts! Your plant looks great, by the way … is it some kind of peace lily? (I’ve never been able to keep those looking very good.) 🙂
It is a peace lily, Lois. This plant has brought me such joy as I never thought it would grow as well as it has. Combined with not having a very green thumb 🙂
Joanne,
Love this story about your plant. Every living thing, including plants, can be a reminder of God’s love and faithfulness. Just as plants need the sun, we need the Son in order to grow, thrive, and flourish.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Amen!
I often wonder about those who have no one praying for them and my heart breaks. I love that your plant is a visual reminder to pray.