Never Be Afraid to Grow

It’s always amusing to see something grow that people say can’t be done.

I was recently watering my African Violet. It’s a plant that came in a tiny pot. Because of their size, people often put them on window sills to add color. They make special pots for them and everyone who knows anything about growing them will tell you that you have to buy those special pots because they have to be watered from the bottom not the top.

I have no idea why. That’s just what I was told.

You pour water into the saucer and the plant soaks it up as needed. I followed all of the planting rules and the plant flourished, so I bought a bigger pot. It then outgrew that pot. I searched relentlessly for the right pot to put it in. I never could find one. They were all too small.

In desperation, I re-potted it in a normal pot and began watering it from the top. I figured it had a good chance of dying, but it was going to die anyway if I left it in a pot way to small for it.

Months went by and it didn’t die. It thrived. It’s been years since I have watered it the correct way, but I water it regularly, give it lots of sun and feed it with African Violet food. It couldn’t be happier and at the moment still needs a bigger pot.

As I was marveling at my plant and its progress, I am reminded how often we don’t try new things or follow dreams because someone, maybe many someones, have told us that we will likely fail.

If we want reminders of that simply not always being the case, nature is always a good place to look. When my hubby and I planted a cutting from his grandfather’s fig tree, we were told it wouldn’t bear fruit for at least a couple of years. Imagine our surprise when we had a few figs the first year we planted it.

The fig tree reminds me to always expect surprise when we are dealing with things that grow, and that goes from plants, to children, to relationships, to our faith.

When God calls us to do something, we should expect wonder; we should expect the impossible. Perhaps we have outgrown a tight space of some type like my violet, and He’s calling us to try something bigger. It could be a call to lead or branch out in some way.

We can be tempted to stay right where we are. It’s what we know. We are comfortable being watered and fed in exactly the same way, but when He calls us to try something different, we can expect big things, even though others may doubt.

Sometimes, we can thrive and produce new fruit immediately, like my little fig tree. Sometimes it may take a little time, like my violet. Either way, when we act in obedience and faith, the results are often breathtaking and we find it hard to believe we were ever reluctant to take a new risk.

An African Violet reminded me today to never be afraid to try something different when God calls us to. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂