Beautifully Refined: Growing in Christ Day by DayChikamu

The plant was the saddest I’d ever seen—just a spindly-looking stem, a few halfhearted leaves, and a tumble of roots in shaggy, bone-dry soil. Forgotten in someone’s abandoned office, the poor thing was alone, starving, and on its way out. My heart lurched. I’m no green-thumb, but surely I could help.

I took that plant and transferred it to a bigger pot, added water and several scoops of rich, black soil, patted it all down with my hands, and blew her a kiss. Then I set her in a soft patch of sunlight on my kitchen counter, where I gave her a name, Tanya—yes, this is weird, but I do name my plants. Only the ones I name tend to live.

Almost two years later, Tanya the Plant, is thriving, happy, robust, and reaching for the sky.

Tanya reminds me of God’s people. In Ephesians 3:17, Paul reminds us that when we have faith, God is able to live in our hearts, for we are “rooted and established” in His love.

When we are without faith, we are like a dried-up, at-death’s-door plant, starved of the nutrients we need to thrive and live fully and beautifully. But when we get those nutrients through the things God offers us—His love, His holy word through the Bible, His people in the form of other Christians surrounding us in fellowship and support—we’re suddenly like a plant rooted in a fresh pot of life. We can live, breathe, dance, and thrive as we reach for the sky and glorify His name.

Sometimes we forget how vulnerable and tender we are. We deprive ourselves of the resources God gives us to grow in His love and in faith. We don’t read the Bible, don’t go to church, sometimes don’t even pray. Our souls begin to falter and tremble. We wilt and suffer.

But God has called us by name. We are His precious children! Let’s remember that, bask in His word and His love, and grow.

~Jessica Brodie