I don’t do well with plants. My house could be described as a plant hospice where we help them pass through to their final resting place.

So this month’s prayer exercise is a step of faith for me.

In the meditation and reflection components of Psalm1:3 we discussed the seasons of our lives and the act of cultivating growth.

I don’t know about you, but for me, I can hear these great analogies and then the slowly or not so slowly fade from my mind.

I think this is why the writer of Hebrews challenges us to “...exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” - Hebrews 3:13

I need to be reminded because I have the tendency to forget.

One of the practices we can engage with to help us remember is that of symbolism. A physical representation of a spiritual truth that we need to remember.

In this exercise, the symbol is a plant. It can be any plant (i see you people who are choosing succulents).

The idea is to place this plant in a location that you will see daily. Whether that be on your desk, on your windowsill or by your bed, the plant should be where you will pass it frequently.

The plant represents an area of your life that you long to see growth. Your attentiveness and care for the plant is a reminder to cultivate the environment for growth in your life. As you water, prune and care for the plant, take time to pray for this area of your life. As it grows thank God for the growth in your life, and realistically as you have to pinch off the dead areas, pray for your attentiveness and faithfulness to pursue God’s call on the areas of your life that He longs to work.  

This is not meant to turn into the “guilt plant” that brings about discouragement, but instead a reminder that we are human, growth takes time, we need grace, care and the healing redemptive work of the gospel of Christ in our lives.

So run out to Lowes, Home Depot or a local nursery and pick out a plant, a simple one, and spend some time praying as you prepare and plant it. Pray that God would use this small symbol as evidence of a bigger process at work.

May God draw us close to Him and help us to steward the well the work that He wishes to do in our lives.