Twitter Plants

Comedian Jimmy Fallon announces each week that a certain portion of his show was “Trending” on Twitter. If you’re reading this and aren’t sure what “Trending” means, or even what Twitter is, then stay with me. If you Google “Trending”, you get all sorts of definitions. One “old school” definition is “bending” or turning away in a specific direction.” If that’s the case, then I have a plant in my house that’s “trending.”

It’s the longest lasting greenery I’ve ever owned. It’s also the first. I noticed something very interesting about this plant. It will bend and grow in the direction of the window where the sun comes in. It also seems to grow, and by grow, I mean survive, when I give it water. Unfortunately, I often forget to water it. I actually forgot I even owned it until I was looking for a book a couple of months ago and looked up to notice this plant atop the bookcase “trending” towards the window eight feet away. I’m pretty sure I could even kill a fake plant..without trying. (This one actually fell over in the car on the way home…perhaps just playing dead, or perhaps reaching for the door handle to jump to the safer place of oncoming traffic) Anyway, I moved it to the kitchen where it now sits on the table under the window about six feet from the faucet. Six… long… feet. Bending toward the light is working. Watering…not so much.

My mom tells me there’s even something called “plant food.” If I can’t remember to water it, I’m sure not gonna remember to feed it. We’ll just focus on water survival at this point. I don’t wanna belabor the point…but…if I were that plant, I’d be ticked if I could see the water…hear the water, and even watch the water out the window pouring down as it rains on all the other trees and greenery. Seriously folks, I’m not asking for a flood over here. Just a few drops. You can lead this plant to water, and he’ll drink.

I imagine this is probably similar to how we treat our souls sometimes. We see the water. We know its there. The River of Life, in fact. We sit within earshot of a flowing fountain, and yet sometimes don’t, or can’t, move ourselves under it. We might even look out the window and see the water pouring down, turning grass greener, making leaves stronger and trees growing higher. And yet we thirst.

My parents and I walked through the nursery at Home Depot this past weekend. There was a man there who’s job it was to water the plants, shrubs, and flowers. My mom asked him a few questions, most of which went over my head, but one of his replies stuck with me. He explained that they had alot more of the particular plants that my mom was looking for, but had just thrown them all away. Why? No one watered them.

You and I were meant for more than just surviving. We were created to “bend” towards God. I’d love to be the one Psalm 1 describes as “a tree planted by steams of living water which yields it’s fruit in season, and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers.” My job? Walk away from sin and delight myself in the Lord. You and I need the water of God’s word to do both. It’s our nourishment and our life. Why not stop your busy day and take a deep drink today? John 4:1-26 might be just the water you need.