Tip of My Iceberg

Neither my husband nor I could ever be considered gardeners.

We love plants. We’re simply not focused on caring well for plants.

Our kids and others have gifted us with growing green things. The growing part doesn’t always apply after a time, but we do try.

We were gone for a week, and both of us had neglected watering the plants, inside and out. Outside can be disastrous–Florida sun can be brutal to plants if they’re not hydrated well.

What was sad was a particular plant inside that displayed considerable wilting. We’d returned late one evening and that sad little plant was the first thing we saw.

It looked dead.

John immediately watered it. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I watched it closely.

It still looked dead.

The next day, no improvement.

By day three, as I entered the kitchen, I was ready to pitch it. There’s something so depressing about a dead plant.

But day three saw considerable improvement. It was restored to it’s glowing greenness and lush leaves.

It’s easy to give up on people or situations that appear hopeless. The darkness of this world feels heavy and overpowering at times, and it’s easy to miss small blessings.

It’s because we live in a state of war.

Not war like we’re seeing in Israel and Ukraine. It’s a war between light and dark, between good and evil that we often want to dismiss as being simplistic or extreme, depending on perspective.

We’re at war with an enemy that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy all the joy and hope that life brings. Satan has been at war with God since the beginning of time, and often the insidiousness of his attack causes us to blame individuals or situations rather than the purposefulness of his aim to destroy all goodness.

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9a

Death is all around us. Unlike our plant that saw a resurgence of life, there isn’t hope for death apart from the gift of life given by Jesus.

It’s easy to dismiss the existence of an enemy we can’t see, just as easily as it is to dismiss a Savior we can’t touch.

Death is real. We can choose victory in Jesus which brings life, or we can choose to live life trying to be good enough to make us acceptable to a holy God.

There will come a time when something that looks dead will stay dead.

Will you choose life?