Don't Become a Centerpiece

Well, it's been awhile since I've written. Life has consumed my time and unfortunately I still haven't mastered balance! Ok, so let's dig in and get dirty for a minute!

Over the last few days I have been thinking about this concept... It was something that struck me as I was driving, (The Lord does that to me a lot.) and was reiterated the next day by action of my brother.

I want to discuss, staying connected to our Source. Staying attached to the Vine, keeping our Roots in tact. As I was driving the other day I was noticing the pretty flowers and plants. Then I started to think about the flowers at work... How we get so many compliments on them and questions about whether or not they're real. Sadly, once people know they're real, they sometimes get pilfered. At any rate, I began thinking about what we do to keep the flowers looking nice and how we keep them alive etc. Then, the next day my brother brought my sister-in-law (I call her my sister-in-love) flowers. I was reminded again, the work she will have to do to keep them looking nice as long as possible.

The more I pondered I began to feel  a lesson stirring inside. I began to think about the flowers and plants in relationship to our growth in the Lord. We all (ok most) probably know the allegory in scripture of the vine and branches, but here's another angle to consider. When we are plucked out of our natural habitat and put in vase on the dining room table, we are now a decoration. We are now "superficial" in nature. We serve no purpose and are usually thrown away with the week's garbage when it's all said and done.

I got to thinking about the importance of leaving organisms in their natural habitat. When left alone, they thrive, grow, get nurtured, etc. But once that Lilac (for example) is cut from the bush and put in a vase at my house, it's now a centerpiece, or decoration.

My challenge to you: Don't become a centerpiece. Don't get plucked from the tree, the bush, or the side of the road. Grow where you're at. Allow yourself to blossom, get beautiful and thrive. When someone is tugging on you or coming at you with some shears (figuratively speaking) stretch yourself out and feel your roots. Ask the Lord to show you your relationship with Him and even if your roots aren't deep YET, don't give in to the idea of sitting pretty on someone's table. Don't be tempted by being able to sit in the air conditioning away from the "elements". Once you allow yourself to be plucked from the Ground, your time is very short. Yes, it's possible to prolong your life and yes you may even make someone's day with how radiant you are. But in the end, your color will fade, and you will dry up.

**Stay tuned I'm going to do a second part to this later this week regarding roots!**