A Dead(?) Philodendron & An Advent Invitation

You know it’s bad when you kill a philodendron.

I mean, when I think philodendron, I think easiest-houseplant-in-the-universe-to-keep-alive. Right? This is the plant that can endure weeks of neglect and still bounce back pretty darn well. It’s why this spring, when I deep cleaned and organized my office and decided I could dare to try to keep plants alive again in there…I bought a philodendron. Baby steps. Not finicky ivy or African violets (heaven forbid!), but a sturdy, resistant-to-my-failed-good-intentions philodendron.

This morning it appears to be dead.

It might recover. I’m holding out hope. I took it into the bathroom sink and soaked it in the water it has desperately needed for God knows how long now. As I ran water into the pot the whole ball of plant and dry dirt floated to the top.  The whole mess is so dry the water is going to have to work exceptionally hard to infiltrate and begin nourishing those parched roots. I’m not sure whether or not it will be possible at this point. We’ll wait and see.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes my spirit feels as dry as my nearly dead philodendron. I know I would benefit from consistent, reliable watering…but instead I neglect my spirit for weeks on end and still somehow expect it to be verdant and flourishing. Crazy talk.

But here’s the good news. No matter how withered and lifeless I’ve become, the water of God’s grace reaches my parched roots and goes to work. The Word washes over me, soaking me in silence and song. God’s Word speaks in the storm and on the placid lake. Jesus, the Word made flesh, comes as living water to quench even the most despairing thirst.

I do think my philodendron will survive.

And if it does, I’m recommitting myself to paying attention to it, to loving it as it deserves to be loved, to watering it as needed. I’ll fail. I can tell you that already. But I’ll try. And try again.

And I hope to pay this same kind of attention to my spirit. I hope, during this approaching season of Advent, to water it daily, to seek out opportunities for God’s Word to reach my roots consistently and reliably. To that end, I’m participating in the #RethinkChurch Advent Photo-a-Day 2018 Challenge (learn more at http://www.rethinkchurch.org). Each day, December 2-25, a single word will be posted for reflection and you’ll be invited to respond with a picture. Examples include promise, fulfill, time, justice. On this blog, I’ll write a brief devotion based on each of these words and publish them daily.

Would you like to join me in watering your spirit during this season of Advent? Would you like to take just a few moments each day to invite God’s Word to wash over you? If so, please subscribe to my blog by entering your email address on the home page. You’ll receive these daily Advent devotions, as well as anything else I publish here (sermons, poems, songs, etc.).

I’m so grateful we’re journeying on this Advent road together.

Peace,

Stacey