A Fern Foundation
If you know me, you know that neither of my thumbs are green. In fact, I’m a serial killer of plants! Only one plant has ever survived my lack of care, which is a clover plant given to me by an awesome friend several years ago. All thanks to my husband for watering it weekly.
At the beginning of spring, Eric and I bought two ferns to hang on the front porch. After about two weeks of being battered by the spring winds, they were not the prettiest ferns one had ever seen. I wanted my front porch to bestow the loveliest, fullest ferns, because I was sure that everyone’s jaws would drop when they passed by my house and saw how beautiful my porch was, thanks to these lovely ferns. But after seeing how the winds beat them and made them ugly, I was ready to replace them with “newer models” and move the “lesser than” ferns to the back porch where no one would see them. I mean, at least, I wasn’t getting rid of them all together, right?
Well, Eric had other plans, and this is an area he has always been really good at – giving things a second chance. He saw the potential in those ferns and was determined to bring that potential to life. Even after the windy weeks, he has continued to love, water, and even cover them from stormy elements. They were shown mercy through his hands and as of today, they continue to hang on our front porch. But now, they display all of their lovely splendor. They are full, green, and have graceful movement in the breeze. Eric let them continue hanging on the front porch during their transformation and if anyone did happen to notice these ferns, they witnessed a beautiful testament of growth.
2 Corinthians 4 opens up with a statement reflecting this same kind of care from our heavenly Father. It says this: Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.
Everyone hopes to be a part of something great. Like beautiful ferns, we want to be used to display the glory of the One who cares for us. On the other hand, what happens when a tough situation blows our hope away and leaves us looking frazzled? Do the winds and storms that leave us battered mean that we aren’t great enough to hang on the porch anymore? Not at all, but sometimes when the bad situations come, we tend to give up. Moving toward something that already looks perfect and easier to maintain. Imagine, rather than doing something else, we keep working towards our initial hopes? Jesus told us in this world we would have trouble, but to take heart, because He has overcome the world. Suppose we let the storms work for us, not against us? Making us stronger by being deeply rooted in His Word and trusting that He will be faithful through the storms. If we remain planted in Him, and nurture our faith daily, then we can grow and become what we had initially hoped for.
Don’t give up or lose hope. Thank goodness there’s no such thing as a green thumb when it comes to being planted in God!
For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious. 2 Corinthians 3:11