I'm pretty sure I have made it abundantly clear that live plants and I do not get on together. Historically it has not mattered how much effort I put into caring for plants, their outcome is the same: demise. That said, I nonetheless was inspired to purchase some houseplants last summer, and an orchid was among them. I must have been feeling uncharacteristically brave that day. We brought it home laden down with 7 blooms just simply unapologetic in their beauty. It was almost indecent. And within a week of being on my kitchen windowsill, all 7 blooms had gone to their shrivelly graves. The orchid turned gangly and Josh thought about trimming it way back. I thought about tossing it in the trash; after all, this was further evidence of my deplorable lack of gardening skills. Yet for some reason, I kept the orchid. I'd dust the leaves off every so often and place it insistently in the window, turning its good side toward the sun. I watered it doubtfully every so often. Once, it was knocked off the table next to the window and its pot broke, so I repotted it and put it back in its spot by the window.
Imagine my surprise when I saw buds on the stem a week ago! Imagine my shock this morning to find this:
What comes next here may surprise you, and I promise it's not where you thought this blog post was going. My first thought on seeing this was, "Wow! I actually kept a plant alive!"
I took credit for the beauty of a flower; for something I was given, for that which I did not do. Just like the king of Assyria.
Huh? Patience, grasshopper. Stay with me.
My ladies' Bible study has been studying the book of Isaiah, and not five minutes before my orchid sighting, I had just read about God using the king of Assyria as a rod of judgment on Israel. I had spared no compassionate thoughts for the king, and had actually come down rather harshly on him. How could he say,
"By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for I have understanding;
I remove the boundaries of peoples,
and plunder their treasures;
like a bull I bring down those who sit on thrones.
My hand has found like a nest
the wealth of the peoples;
and as one gathers eggs that have been forsaken,
so I have gathered all the earth;
and there was none that moved a wing
or opened the mouth or chirped." Is 10:13-14
But how could I say, "I actually kept a plant alive!" For my unspoken next thought was, "I must have watered it at the right times." The implied message being, "I am great. I am a plant master after all." But after this realization of my own proud heart, I am here to tell you that I could not make that flower bloom any more than the king of Assyria could conquer a nation without God's help. It took an orchid to show me that I am more like this king of Assyria than I like to admit. I thank the Lord for causing flowers to bloom, with or without my "help." HE truly is the great One, the One in whom we should trust.
"Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?" Is 10:15a
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