Faith Knitted Living

This is something I wrote some time ago and the message I heard on Sunday reminded me of it. I love how God is vivid in His illustrations from day to day life whenever I actively seek Him to show me His heart. I pray this encourages you wherever you are! Be blessed!

Deep Watering

            Not too long ago I was at a plant nursery picking up plants for a work project. When I walked into the greenhouse there was this big, beautiful plant full of flowers. It was called a million bells due to the bell-like nature of the blossom. I fell in love with the plant immediately and vowed to return after work to take the plant with me.  Upon my return to the nursery I inquired about the care of the hanging plant. How much sunlight? How often to water? Does it need to be repotted once I get it home? The gardener told me that I could water it probably once a day and it should be fine. I did my research and decided that it would look lovely on my back porch, hanging where I could see it out the kitchen window.

            I talked to my husband about the care of the plant. That it would need to be watered daily in the morning. I looked the plant up on the internet which said that the plant could survive being watered once a week. General information doesn’t always tell the whole story though. Hang tight, friends, this is going somewhere! We watered the plant once daily in the morning, and for several days the beautiful blooms just kept coming. Then, after a few days of me being gone, I noticed that the plant wasn’t looking so good.  It had been watered, but the appearance was that of a sick plant.  So I studied it more.  Turns out, in the Oklahoma wind and heat, hanging plants don’t do so well just being watered once a day.  The excess water typically drains out of the bottom of the basket and doesn’t give the roots time to soak up the water they need to keep the plant alive.

            After discovering that it was a root issue and that there were stems that had dried that needed to be pruned away from the plant, I jumped into action.  I so wanted this plant to have what it needed to survive and be beautiful again. This was revelatory for me because I don’t always look at things just as they seem to be. I am always looking for how God is using life around me to teach me things I might otherwise not catch in a traditional message.  See, the roots were the problem before I ever saw that there was a problem.  The roots were dry and thirsty and giving their all just to keep the part of the plant I saw looking green and healthy.  Until there was no extra moisture for them to pump through the plant.  Most times the evidence of lack of time spent in the water of the word doesn’t always show up until it’s been neglected for far too long.  Often times, it’s a gradual process.  Missed Bible time due to getting up late. Allowing the day to carry me away and not realizing that I’ve not properly hydrated my roots.

            We ignore the roots as long as we can. Roots from which we came. Roots that we developed along the way. Sometimes the roots are sick and dying, and because we’re not looking at the root of the issue, we just try to correct the surface level problems that can be seen. In reality, if the roots are well nurtured with water and sustenance, the plant is healthy through and through.  In the same sense, if my roots are healthy in the Lord, I am healthy through and through.  Hidden issues that are thought to be dormant in the dark covering of the soil, the ones that we think will never been seen on the surface tend to show up in rare form, and in yucky ways.  The word says sin grows best in the dark. Maybe it’s not sin being hidden. Maybe it’s that childhood trauma left undealt with. Maybe it is a relational issue that never got resolved. Whatever the root issue is, if it’s not properly addressed, it can overwhelm life until it no longer resembles that which it should. 

            Realizing that I had a root problem, I started to water the plant on a surface that would allow the soil to become saturated instead of losing the vital water out of the bottom of the basket. Instead of relying on the fact that the soil felt moist at the top, I watered multiple times a day.  I cut away the dead portions of the plant. I prayed over it. I knew it would take time for the plant to recover from the damage I couldn’t see. Without actually being able to see the roots I would have to trust that the process I was doing would help the plant to recover.  The lesson came at a much needed time. It was a reminder to me that I needed to check my roots. A reminder that a quick, once a day visit to the Word, the living water God gave us, isn’t enough to sustain and correct any root issues. That without proper time in prayer and worship, the roots of my soul would start to shrivel and the damage would become evident on the surface. Those things that need to be pruned and the time needed to just soak in the water of God’s word is the only way the root issues could become healthy again. God’s word reminds us to be rooted in Him, and that the things that are produced out of us are a result of what is in our hearts.

            God isn’t interested on how pretty things look on the outside. Scripture tells us that beauty is temporary and fades, but the roots are where the life is. Well rooted and well watered is the only way to survive and the only answer is being totally rooted in the Word of God. His water is the only thing that is life sustaining and life giving. Apart from Him and His wisdom and love and grace, there is only death. Like the shriveled, dry roots of the plant, so becomes our hearts without Him.

©️2025 Joyce Elwood