Thursday, January 05, 2012

The Parable of the Orchid

The orchid in 2009. 
Every year about this time I usually post a picture of my cattleya orchid and talk about a life lesson I learned from it: in short, I planted this thing when it was a baby and watered it faithfully for FIVE years.  I had begun to think it would never do anything but sit there and taunt me, but one day it bloomed--a rather bug-eaten bloom, but a bloom nonetheless.  The next year it produced two or three blossoms, and the next year it produced so many flowers I couldn't count them.  Everyone who came to the house marveled at the thing; it was truly a showpiece.  Lesson Learned:  patience pays off.

But this year . . . nada.  Not a single bloom, not even a sheaf containing a bloom.
New plant #1. 

And it wasn't hard to see the problem.

My orchid had simply outgrown its (huge) pot.  So I waited for a nice weather day, found another good-sized pot, and thought I would divide the massive plant in two.

Ha.  The plant's roots were tightly intertwined, and cutting/hacking through them was no easy feat.  And the plant didn't WANT to be divided in two, it wanted to be divided in fourths.  So I ended up with four large orchid plants, all of which are adjusting to their new homes.

New plant #2. 
And it struck me that this orchid is still teaching me lessons.  Sometimes we outgrow a situation in which we've been happy and fruitful.  I don't think this applies to marriages (or it shouldn't), but it certainly could apply to avenues of ministry, to occupations, and even to life itself.  Because one day we will all have used up our allotted number of days, and we will be ready to be transplanted to a new home.

So no pictures of orchid blooms this year.  Just pictures of new starts, each of them hoping to bear fruit in a new place.

In the doctrine of God's sovereignty, I know that everything that happens in my life is part of his plan for me. He will be with me, he will support me through it, everything is part of the grand adventure he has laid out for my life.  So if being "transplanted" means attempting new things in a new place, I'm up for it. And I'll trust him to ease me through the transition phase of adjusting to new surroundings.

Have you been transplanted recently? How was your adjustment? How did God prove himself faithful?

New plant #3. 




New plant #4. 
~~Angie 
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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:12 PM

    Wow. You're smart.

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  2. Anonymous4:13 PM

    (that's Accidental Poet being Anonymous because Blogger is being ...itself.

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  3. Kathy Cassel7:27 PM

    good application

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  4. Anonymous12:34 AM

    Oh, howdy I've been transplanted! We moved 45 minutes away to the opposite side of the city and to a totally different world. Culture and climate are so different from where we lived for the last 11 years. On top of that, our new apartment is not as handicapped-friendly as the old one was, making it difficult for me to even manage caring for myself.

    The one thing we are certain of, however, is that God wants us where we are, difficult adjustments and all. We aren't sure why, though we kind of know one reason. What we have to do is trust that our Heavenly Father knows best and is taking very good care of us. If we didn't believe that, we'd break our lease and move out in a heartbeat!

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  5. Anonymous2:21 AM

    Big-time transplant. Tedious adjustment. And, YES! God proved faithful.

    My transplanting caused me to wonder if I'd been hearing God correctly...which caused me to ponder more than I should (translate worry?). But reading His Word I decided He was saying, "Rest." Not rest as in take a nap or vacation, but as you might soothe your grandbaby: Don't fret, you'll be OK.

    When I decided to rest in Him, He gave me a sky FULL of message. Standing at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, from north to south, 180 degrees of sky, all clouds aimed at one point on the horizon. A sky-sized arrow reminding me that no matter how small my awareness, if I'm looking God will always show me the next step.

    Resting. It feels good.

    Happy New Year, Angie!
    Mary Kay

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