I have a very very vivid memory as a child visiting my grandmothers house in the country in Virginia. She was the A-typical grandmother that wore the apron always and her house smelled of wonderful cooking or baking things and she always greeted you with the biggest hugs. That farmhouse was filled with love and extraordinary memories in every corner. One thing that stood out to me for some reason was the stone wall that was outside of her backdoor. It was a pretty ordinary stone wall but grandma had it covered with succulents. They grew out of every nook and cranny that they could find and as a small child I found it a wonderment! Grandma called those succulents her ”hens and chicks” and I never knew why until I was grown that it was the country term of sorts for succulents. At any rate, this wall was covered and I used to go out and sit on the old swing and stare at that wall. How could anything grow out of rock? I didn't see any dirt so my little mind didn't comprehend the ability of a tiny root to find cracks to meander into and latch onto any soil or organic medium in order to thrive. Those ”hens and chicks” you see hold quite a bit of water in their fleshy tissues so it enables them to survive in what appears to be rock or very dry places. It's their built in secret weapon so to speak. Store up water and in the dry times you can thrive! Hmmm sounds like a brilliant design, right!
You probably know where I’m going here, so, just keep walking with me and I won't disappoint. Gods perfect design with those succulents and how they can survive hard, tough and dry times is built into us as well. For instance, we know that if you go to school or college, that you will gain more knowledge to hopefully sustain you for future challenges. We also know that if you work a 9 - 5 job and bring home a paycheck that the money will hopefully sustain you through the week until your next paycheck. But what we as followers of Christ seem to miss a lot is that you can't eat once a week and expect that to sustain you all week. We can't just go to church on Sunday and expect to get enough biblical sustenance to carry us through the trials, hardships and challenges that life throws at us on a daily basis. We will wither and die for sure. You see the Bible says in II Timothy 2:15 ”Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We need to fill ourselves with the Word of God on a daily basis just like those succulents need to store water for those dry days. It also says in Isaiah 58:11 ”The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Drawing from the well and wealth of knowledge that we have from God Word on a consistent basis will enable us to be like those succulents, survivors! I believe that as a small child the Lord God was imprinting that succulent wall on my mind and heart so today I could understand the beauty of his ways and plans for my life. Lord, make me always aware of my need for you and in that need may I always be extending the roots of my life to search for more sustenance and watering that only you and your Word can give. I pray that I will always stay watered and prepared for the dry spells of life and flourish, giving you glory in the well watered seasons as well as the dry ones.
Insight Insert: The challenge here would be to make a plan and get yourself into a routine of reading or listening to the Word on audio. There’s a quote that says, “we should treat our bibles like we do our cellphones”. Isn’t it true though that we pick up our cell phones first thing in the morning and they stay close by our side all day! Oh the wealth of knowledge, insight and communication strategies that the Word holds for us instead. It’s hard but technology itself has made it easier for us. Turn the audio on your Bible app and water your spirit on your drive to work. I promise, your roots will latch on to the sustenance it gives!
Word Of Truth: Psalm 63:1 “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
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