Off-Kilter

I have found taking care of plants and a garden has continual life lessons. This same plant that I almost gave up on is grossly out of balance. The branch that is growing higher than the others needs the new growth at the top snipped off in order to both send more growth down it's base, but also allow the other shorter branches to catch up.

It is that way with the different dimensions of our lives. If one part of us is growing faster or more than another part, we too can get out of balance and we are thrown off-kilter.

 kilter
noun awry, off balance, unbalanced, out of order, disordered, confused, muddled, disoriented, out of tune, out of whack, out of step; humorous discombobulated. See also off-kilter.
For example, too much focus on just our physical appearance or even just our physical health and neglecting our intellectual growth can throw us off balance and we too will feel "confused, muddled, disoriented, out of whack." All dimensions--spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, and social--need balanced growth.

Never Give Up

I almost gave up on this plant. It was at a previous home and it started to look scraggly so I didn't really take good care of it thinking I wouldn't take it to our new home anyway.

But because it is hard for me to give up on and throw away a living plant, I took it to our new home and started to take good care of it again--watering regularly and fertilizing it.

For a year and a half, it just stayed the same. I guess it was just in recovery mode. It took this long to start sprouting new growth, but now on every branch there are new vibrant baby leaves reaching upward.

A great lesson for life and for relationships. If we don't give up and continue to nurture, it might take awhile but eventually we will be blessed with new growth. And isn't that what life is all about--recovery and growth.

Forgive

What keeps coming to me lately is to forgive. Forgive the driver who cuts me off. Forgive past offenses against me. Forgive myself if I don't live up to my own expectations. If Jesus Christ could call for forgiveness while hanging on the cross in brutal physical pain, then I can forgive. I can also assume that "they know not what they do."

Faith has a short shelf life

Today I read this thought. It's true. Just like the manna from heaven given to the Israelites, faith doesn't store well. I have to partake of something that feeds my faith every day. Sometimes every minute. Whether it be reading scriptures, other good books, praying, writing about my faith, enjoying God's beautiful creations, or just noticing and being grateful for all the miracles and blessings that surround me, I have to have a constant source of faith-promoting experiences. My soul needs constant nourishment.