I’m basically the worst at keeping plants alive. I either water them too much or completely forget they exist until one day I notice a shriveled up brown mess on my coffee table.
What Succulents Taught Me About Faith
But this summer, I kept a succulent alive.
I received it as a party favor from a friend’s wedding. When I took it home I thought, “Great, this will be dead in a couple of weeks.” But to my surprise, it was still alive a couple of months later. And that included a few times when its existence completely slipped my mind.
So after concluding that succulents must be the easiest plant on the planet to keep alive (since I had somehow done it), I decided to cut it up and create more succulents. Because, why not multiply my success?
After some diligent Pinteresting, I knew my plan of action, and I implemented it. I pulled the leaves off just as they said, let them dry for a couple of days, purchased the correct type of soil, and laid the leaves on top of it in a place that gets sun. I squirted them with water every couple of days and waited. And waited. And waited.
It’s been a couple of months now with no visible progress, and I had just decided the other day that my plan had not worked. The leaves looked exactly the same as they did months ago, and I had once again failed at growing plants. Even though the leaves were still green and plump, I had seen no growth progress.
So the other day, my mom was coming over, and honestly, I thought it looked sort of weird to have a bunch of leaves sitting in cups on my windowsill doing absolutely nothing, so I shoved them in my bedroom for a few days, figuring I’d toss them soon.
BUT TODAY!
Today, as I picked up those not-quite-plants to take them to their certain fate, I noticed something incredible–ROOTS! THEY HAVE ROOTS! After months of waiting and diligently watering and opening my blinds in the morning so they could soak up the sunshine from my kitchen window while I was at work, I finally noticed some progress in my efforts!
I think this is a lot like life. We go through seasons where we’re hoping, waiting, watering, putting our dreams where they can soak up the sunshine, and we see nothing. No progress. We hold onto an intangible hope that one of these days, our dreams will sprout roots.
And this, I believe, is the essence of faith: believing that God will come through, even when something looks completely hopeless at the moment. Even when you can’t see any progress at all, keep plugging away. Keep watering and keep opening up the windows for the sun to come in on your dreams. Don’t let your hopes shrivel up like a forgotten plant that hasn’t been watered in months.
The Bible defines faith like this in Hebrews 11:1 (NLT): “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”
Dear friend, has God spoken something to you that you haven’t seen manifested in your life yet? Are you believing for something that looks hopeless on the outside? I’m urging you not to give up yet. Keep praying, waiting, watering, and letting the sunshine flood your dreams. One of these days, you’ll spot some roots!
Let these words from Psalm 126:5-6 (NLT) encourage you: “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”
Don’t give up, dear friend. “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her!” Luke 1:45 (NIV)
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
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Wow at keeping the plant alive. You are somewhat like me. I might have a plant and forget it is even there and thank God when they are still breathing and looking healthy even after neglecting it. Good for you. Good reason to be faith filled.
Thanks Stephanie! We will get better at gardening!! 🙂 God bless you!
I loved that analogy! I actually read Hebrews 11 the other day, and love how this reminded me of how faith is believing even when we don’t see it. That knowledge has been keeping my head up these past few months, and what I’m holding on to as the anchor for my soul.
Keep on believing & hoping & praying, Rebecca! I’m right there with you. I’m glad I could be an encouragement to you. God bless.
Great comparison. I can definitely relate to having a black thumb. Thanks for the words of encouragement!
Glad you were encouraged, Michele! God bless you! And give succulents a try–they’re fairly easy 🙂
i love succulents! i’m dying to get my hands on a few!
Yes, they are cute!! And easy for those of us who are gardening-challenged 🙂
Okay, this has to be my favorite blog lately! Sooooo good and inspiring! I love the comparison and illustration with the succulents. These are some of my favorite scriptures too!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jessica, and I hope you were encouraged. God bless you!
beautiful! i think having faith is so important! it is easy to give up, and when we don’t, we are rewarded tremendously!
You’re right, Ananda. God honors our faithfulness! Glad you enjoyed the piece.
Awesome analogy, Sara. These words of hope to keep trusting God, even when it doesn’t look like He’s answering, encourages a saint to keep marching on. Keep up these wonderful, eloquent writing skills you’ve been gifted with. May I share this blog with other’s?
Thank you for the kind words & the encouragement, Anna. I’m so glad you enjoyed. And of course, feel free to share away!
This post really is the best thing i’ve read in a long time! I love your words of encouragement! I’m pining this so i can look back on it when I need a reminder that God is at work in my life!
Thanks, Leslie! I pray it encourages you when you need it!
Thank you so much for the reminder. Love this! (And I discovered the joy of succulents last year–they’re wonderful!)
Hi Sara,
So good! Love this so much! Just think how often we give up right before the fruit of our efforts begin to show! Waiting for God’s timing is tough, but so worth it!
Thanks so much for sharing this hope at #MomentsofHope!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
This was such a much needed message today! You truly have a gift for sharing God’s word! Thank you for sharing:)
Aww.
1. I love succulents… 2. I love this…
So true! God is always working.
Love this so much! I am sharing this with a couple of people 🙂
Good reminder! We need to be patient sometimes and let Him work things out for us instead of stressing. I love succulents 🙂
Thank you so much for this post, I really needed it this morning; God IS in control, and He makes all things beautiful in HIS time, thank you again, and God bless you
I just need to let you know – I saw this on the Grow Your Blog thread and it caught my attention. After reading it I am in tears. You have no idea how much I needed to hear the words you so beautifully wrote. Thank you. I’ve been busting my booty to get my blog to where I want it to be, build a brand, and raise two little ones under 2 1/2 years old. This really spoke to me – I will continue to put my faith in God and know he has the plan, and keep praying. XOXO
Chrissa – I am so happy this touched you that much. My friend Sara truly wrote a beautiful piece!
That settles it! I’m getting some succulents! I’m also going to trust that God is at work when I think all is stagnant.
Amen to both! 🙂
Great blog – I love succulents myself!
Thanks, Laina! Wish I was better at growing them!!
What a beautiful lesson learned from those tough succulents! Thank you for the reminder about faith! xo, Lindsay | Paris, Meet Boston | http://www.parismeetboston.com
Thanks, Lindsay!! God bless!
Oh Sarah, I am glad you didn’t give up. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful learning about our faith. God bless you.
You too, Anmaria! Thanks!
I have had the exact same experience with succulents (no green thumb here either), but have never tried multiplying them! This encouragement was totally for me today! I literally just shared on my blog this week about waiting. Timely word and well received. I’ll be revisiting this post. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it encouraged you, Jessica! Hang in there!