Playing in the Dirt: Devotions for Crazy Plant LadiesNäide

Follow the Sun

Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually.

I CHRONICLES 16:11 NASB

If you observe a houseplant in a sunny window, you might notice a subtle change occurring over time. The plant grows in the direction of the sun. What looks like crazy plant acrobatics is a scientific process called phototropism.

Because plants receive energy from the sun and convert that energy into nourishment through photosynthesis, it’s logical that a healthy plant would try to maximize its exposure to sunlight. This is what phototropism does. It allows the plant to absorb more sunlight to receive more nourishment and produce more growth. In a sense, phototropism is what makes a plant thrive. (We love a thriving houseplant!)

Humans don’t experience biological phototropism because we don’t receive our nourishment by converting energy from the sun. But if we translate and apply phototropism to our spiritual lives, we can thrive just like our best philodendron.

When we follow Jesus Christ and orient our lives toward Him, we receive the necessary nourishment for our souls. Think of how you feel and act when you haven’t made time to meet with God for a while. When we don’t pray, read His Word, and generally align our daily lives toward Christ, we deprive ourselves of the life-giving, soul-satiating nourishment our hearts need to be healthy. It’s easy to think we can get by for a while without our “spiritual phototropism,” and maybe we do . . . but eventually, we will run out of nourishment and wither.

So, what can we do to follow our sun, Jesus, the Son of God? Let’s take instructions from Colossians 2:6–7 (nlt): “And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

God, thank You for giving me life! Help me remember that You are the Source of my soul’s nourishment, and help me to always orient my life toward You.