Potted People... and our tender Gardener.

I have five potted plants in my apartment, each is a different species of plant and each is ever green but looks entirely different from the others. I love these plants as they bring some life into my city residence and I try my best to keep them alive.

One of the beautiful things about creation is that its very diverse. Some of these plants needed water every day, they start to droop to remind me if I forget. Some of these plants droop in complaint, if I over water them.
Some plants protest if they are not in the sunlight soaking in the rays, other wilt unless they are in a shady area.

Through sensitive trial and error I am gradually working out each plants "personality, likes and dislikes".

One of my plants has drooped - beyond repair.
I have tried more water.. I have tried less water, I have tried sunlight, I have tried shade, I have even tried praying on it - yes I know crazy Christian - but if Jesus can make a fig tree wilt He can also restore my little yellow flowered love. However nothing has worked. It died.

The Lord spoke to me as I pondered it. All creation is diverse, and as such humans are also diverse. Sure we are all Homo Sapians, and we have some shared experiences, but when it comes down to it, we have different needs, likes and wants. Spiritually too.. what will speak to one person will not speak to another, one form of worship will stir my soul, but you prefer a different style of worship. God speaks to me in a way that shows me He sees me, for you His “love notes” may be different because He knows how to garden you, and what will tap into your heart and hit your core in a way specific to you and your experience. Jesus is the only way, but He also said ‘every tribe and tongue” would be in that great crowd worshipping the Father, coming from all walks of life, God needs to meet us in different ways.

He tenderly cares of each of us, each person is different and He loves that diversity and is big enough to handle and enjoy it all. He loves it, and calls to us to love it too… To do so we need to be rooted deeply enough in our faith and our relationship with God that we cannot be shaken or threatened when God meets someone else in a different way (than He meets us). This can only come through relationship because love is real, and it births security where we know what we have with Him is real, significant and special regardless of what else He is doing in others lives. He has enough love for all of us. He sees me, He sees you. We are different but that is ok – in fact that is beautiful.

I would never choose to have 5 of the same plant in my apartment, I love that they all look different and have different qualities, I don’t mind getting to know their needs and tending to them individually, its worth it.

So Lord put Your love in our hearts, deliver us from this orphan mentality that believes that there is not enough love to go around, set me and us free from a self-righteous spirit that doesn't welcome diversity within the Christian faith Lord, help us to embrace each other in our differences and to worship you with one heart and voice..

“May they all be as one” - Jesus’ prayer - John 17