This summer, I have two plants on my porch. One is a showy fuchsia plant with bright pink and purple flowers. I call her Esther because she’s so beautiful, she could be picked out of a line-up of beauties to be crowned queen of the plant world. The other one is Scarlett. Scarlet is a red (duh) and white impatiens plant I got just before Pentecost Sunday.
Esther and Scarlett both need a lot of water. If they don’t get a really good drink every single day, they act as if they are dying. Case in point, I had had a busy day and failed to provide the afternoon refreshment they both prefer. This picture of Scarlett was taken at 6:18 that evening. Look at her! She’s pathetic. You should know that Esther, camera shy when she isn’t at her best, was equally puny.
I immediately gave the plants a thorough dousing, letting them drink until they could hold no more. Then, at 7:38, I took another picture of Scarlett. As you can see, she looks completely healthy, not a care in the world. Yep, it took (less than) 90 minutes for both plants to be fully revived and ready to face another day.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel parched and weary by life’s circumstances. At those times, it’s easy for me to forget that God’s mercies are new every morning. Often when I feel like that, God nudges me with reminders that divine love abounds. I drink deeply of this living water, and I start to feel renewed.
This Sunday’s scripture is a familiar one–the parable of the seeds sewn on various types of soil, yielding different results based on the environment. Much like the farmer in the parable, God scatters grace, seemingly wholly disinterested in where it might land. The good news is that God’s grace is never wasted, and it never runs out.
So if you’re feeling a bit out of touch with your true self, take heart! Love is God’s own nature, Grace is God’s free gift to humanity. Fill up on the truth that God loves you more than you can imagine and that grace will never, ever give up on you–even when you feel all dried up.
