Plant Parent

Many years ago, I belonged to a large church and there always seemed to be someone promoting their kid’s school fundraiser. I bought a live plant arrangement but didn’t pick it up for two weeks. Of course, by then, it was almost dead, and the parent told me she would refund my money. Nah, that’s okay, I told her and planned discreetly to discard it on my way out.

I then saw an older couple with their 40-something son, Billy, who had recently gotten out of treatment. He had moved back in with them and they were concerned, as he was extremely depressed. He felt like a huge loser who would never redeem himself in life because he had wasted so much of it with drugs and alcohol. The couple had asked us to pray for Billy, as he spent most of his day in bed, and they were afraid he was suicidal.

I smiled and waved as I passed them by and God said, “Stop and give Billy the plant. Tell him I want him to bring it back to life.”

I thought, Nah!. Why would God want me to give this depressed guy a dead plant? God persisted and whispered, “trust meā€, so I finally turned around and handed it to Billy. “Yes, I know this is weird, but God told me to give you this plant and that you would bring it back to life.” Billy laughed, ” You mean resurrect it?” ” I smiled. “Yes. I’m serious.” I laid my hands on him and said a prayer for healing, and then I left.

A month later, I ran into this same family again after church. I was so glad to see a happier Billy, who was also sporting a new haircut and a sharp buttoned-down shirt. “Hey, Jeanne! I saved that plant you gave me and I now have it sitting in my bedroom window.” I thought he was kidding and figured the plant had died the next day. But as Billy wandered off to get coffee, his mother told me he tended to that plant every day. He was so touched that God had spoken to me about him, he was taking the responsibility seriously. She said she watched as he came out of his depression because he now had something to put his focus on other than himself.

God brought this memory back to me yesterday. I got teared up all over again. God is so amazing. He can take something so simple and heal through it. He can work through anyone and that means you and me! Next time you feel like God is asking you to do something “odd” feel stupid and do it, anyway. You might just be planting a seed or literally helping to bring someone back to life.

Small Blessings

I woke up grumpy this morning. Someone hit and ran the side of my car and I kept waking up last night thinking about it. When did it happen? Where did it happen? My first thought this morning was…. NO ONE will fess up to this and I will need to dig up $500 to cover a deductible if I want to have it fixed. šŸ™

My whining continued as I looked at several plant slips my cousin had given me. They were sitting in water and had white roots sprouting at the bottom. “AND now I need to buy pots and soil for these slips. I don’t know anything about plants or even where you would buy soil this time of year.” I hear “Tiffany”. “Call Tiffany.”

NO! I am not going to bug Tiffany about soil. I will search for potting soil nearby. Maybe I should just toss these slips anyway. They made it through a 26-hour car ride from Maine but I’ll probably just kill them anyway. Its money I don’t need to spend now. Ha! Wa Wa Wa Wa. Have some coffee, Jeanne!

God continues to pester me….. “Call Tiffany. Call Tiffany. Call Tiffany and ask her.”

“Alright…” So I feel stupid but text my bud Tiffany, anyway, who lives a couple blocks from me, and ask her where I can buy dirt. She responds ” if you come over now I will give you a bag and a couple of pots that I have in my garage!”

I hear God laugh “Told you.”

Made my day. Then I remembered last night I said “God, I need to get out of my funky mood. Show me you are real. Show up.”

It’s His small gestures that make me feel loved. I’m not even upset about my car anymore. I am going to just let Him figure that one out. His BIG gestures make me feel loved too…..