“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.”
Colossians 2:7
This lovely specimen pictured here is a peony.
It is the first of its kind to poke out of the ground in the spring. While my other peonies are still fast asleep, dreaming of sunshine, it is busy doing what it does best.
Growing!
And at a miraculously fast pace, too.
Every year I marvel at the speed with which it fills in its little wire supports – and then surpasses them. I swear if I sat long enough and had enough patience, I could watch it grow! I took this photo two days ago.
Today, you can’t see the support cage at all.
It has grown more than three feet tall and wide in less than two weeks.
Astonishing.
And watching it grow gives me hope.
Hope!
See, I want to grow. I want to grow – in kindness and compassion, in unselfishness. I want to grow into a woman of excellence, marked by peace and joy and all the character traits exhibited by Jesus.
I want to fill in my support system, so to speak, and then overflow it with beautiful fresh vibrant spiritual growth.
Which means I need to sink my roots – er, base my life upon – what is true and right and good, feeding on pure spiritual food. I will need nutrients and water and soil and in the right proportions in order to bloom at my best and do what I was meant to do.
Investing in my future development will require time. Patience. Deliberate action, a game plan.
Unlike this peony, I won’t experience growth overnight.
This is a long term commitment, this desire to see inner transformation. So I will need to carefully choose what I give time to. What I allow into my brain and heart. What I feed my thoughts with.
But all the time and persistence will pay off as I seek to grow the right qualities in the right way, by following the teachings of Jesus.
Ready, set, grow!
Set yourself up for good growth with me?
Father, I see such beauty and potential for powerful change in this peony. Remind me that I too can grow and develop strong character and positive habits which will feed into a healthy and vibrant life. Amen.
Growing in Grace 