Fred was dead.
Fred was a Boston fern that had survived ten years happily beautifying our front porch in the summer and then wintering in the house hanging in a window. In the past decade, Fred and his companion Fran, also a Boston fern, had grown to a luxurious size. Neither had shown any previous problem wintering in the house.
Fran was still very much alive—bright green and a forest of leaves. But poor Fred had not made it through this past winter. My wife Charlotte, who has the green thumb in the family, had scoured for signs of life, going down into the roots and looking for even a hint of green. All she found were the brown and brittle remains of a once-thriving plant.
What was the difference between Fred and Fran? Fran had wintered in my office window. She received daily misting, weekly watering, and a couple of fertilizer boosts. She was perfectly happy.
On the other hand, Fred had spent the cold months in our grandson's bedroom, hanging in an east-facing window. Despite Caleb's being given a misting spray bottle and a watering can, poor Fred quickly fell to the bottom of his priority list. And then fell off the list altogether.
Now, in Caleb's defense, he is a live-at-home college freshman who also works nearly twenty-five hours a week serving fast-food burgers. He has plenty on his plate, and, except for poor Fred, he balances it pretty well. Still, fifteen seconds a day of misting and a couple of minutes a week of watering doesn't seem like it would be all that overwhelming. Fred would probably agree.
Actually, in a way, I'm just like Fred the fern. My Christian heart and mind also need daily misting and watering, except mine comes from the Word of God. I desperately need that daily immersion in God's perfect Word. I need the misting of God's love in my spirit and the watering that comes from the Lord's constant, never-ending presence. Like poor Fred, without it, my proverbial leaves, stems, and roots will become brown, brittle, and dead.
Open the Word and renew your heart and mind today.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and inonoyazy.)
Kevin Spencer likes to play with words, help others play with them, and is privileged to be a staff writer for Christian Devotions. He lives with his beautiful blessing of a wife, Charlotte, and his amazing collegiate grandson, Caleb.