A Lesson From Petunia
By no means do I claim to be a master gardener, but I do enjoy some flowers around my yard. In fact, walking through a nursery or the garden section of Lowes or Home Depot, surrounded by all the beautiful varieties and vibrant colors, lifts my mood every time. I wish I could say I was an expert at what to plant when and where but that’s certainly not the case. Even so, with some helpful advice and trial and error, I’m learning as I go.
For the summer, I planted some petunias in my front yard. I had a few left over so I threw some potting soil in a planter, added the remaining flowers, set it on my back patio and hoped for the best. With some sunshine and regular water, they began to flourish. Well, that is until I went on vacation. With very little rain the week I was gone and not wanting to bother a neighbor with the chore in my absence, it became quite apparent once I got home how life-giving water really is.
There they were, sitting wilted in bone dry soil. The once healthy and green leaves had recoiled and turned brown and the once vibrant colors had faded away, except for a couple of droopy flowers hanging on for dear life. I thought I’d lost them, but watered them anyway. I continued to do so and sure enough, they started to come back to life.
As I’ve watched them rebloom, I’m reminded again and again of the beauty of restoration. Yes, these were just flowers, but I can’t help but to see this little experience as a bigger picture of what God can do in our lives.
Often, the pace of life runs us dry, leaving us with a thirst that only God can quench.
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirst for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” ~ Psalm 63:1
Other times, we may run after things we think will satisfy, only to end up empty and thirsty from the chase.
“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” ~ Jeremiah 2:13
Sometimes we face incredibly difficult circumstances that wilt our spirits and drain the color out of life.
“Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.” ~ Psalm 107:4-5
Whatever the case may be, all is not lost. Jesus offers life to that which is dead. He can restore what is parched and broken. He “satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:9). I’ve seen it happen in my life and the lives of those around me. There is nothing that the “fountain of living water” cannot restore. That’s not to say we will always see quick results like I did with my flowers. Sometimes full restoration doesn’t come this side of heaven. Regardless, we can hold onto the hope and the promise of what is to come and look to the past to remind ourselves of all the ways he has faithfully restored before.
