Looking at my three glorious aloe vera plants, you would never guess the kind of carnage I have reaped on others of their kind over the years. In fact, I have had what is called a “black thumb” with plants. Unlike those with a “green thumb” who can make anything grow, I have had the opposite effect on those that have come into my possession. But recently, I changed some things, and that has made all the difference for my little collection of aloe veras. This morning, it occurred to me that if you’re not growing as a Christian, maybe it’s because you, too, need to do these three things.
Drooping and Dying
It started when I received a cute little aloe vera plant for Mother’s Day from my daughter. I was so excited. The plant’s aesthetic has always appealed to me, and I still have fond memories of breaking off little pieces to rub on wounds and burns when I was a kid. I took it home and immediately put it on the side of my bathtub where I could see it. I think I had seen a picture somewhere that had greenery there, and I liked the idea. Soon enough, my husband spotted the plant and started watering it. He was well familiar with my deadly plant history and has been keeping the pothos plant alive in our living room for years.
That little aloe vera started out so tall and perky, but within a couple of weeks, it was drooping and getting squishy looking. The next thing I knew, it was gone. My husband had put it out of its misery. I was sad, so I went out and got another one. The same thing happened. I’m sure we took out at least three or four in the next couple of years.
A New Day
Then last year on yet another Mother’s Day, my church gave out aloe vera plants as gifts. I was so excited again. But this time when I got it home, I had a thought. This was no pothos plant. This was a succulent. It needed a lot less water and a lot more sun. I put it into the window, and almost immediately found another one to go with it. Soon a precious sister in Christ at church approached me about taking her aloe vera that had gotten too big for the place she had for it. Now I had three aloe veras in my window, and I told my husband that I was going to water them just a little bit once per week. After just a couple of weeks, I noticed that not only were they not drooping, but they were starting to reach for the top of the window.
The Analogy
Just like aloe veras are not pothos, Christians are not of this world. We can’t go around treating ourselves like we are. Here are 3 things we can do to grow in the Lord.
1. We need to be exposed to the Light.
My aloe vera plants were not in the right location, so they weren’t getting what they needed to grow. As Christians, we can’t live in dark places anymore. Instead, we must continuously expose ourselves to the Light of our Lord Jesus. We can do that by reading the Word of God daily and staying in prayer, both at designated times and throughout the day. “Son” light helps us grow.
2. We can’t be saturated with the world.
My pothos plants are always thirsty, but too much water was killing my aloe veras. As new creatures in Christ, we have different needs. The world is always around us. We can’t get away from it, but that doesn’t mean we have to soak ourselves. Too much of the world can start to weigh us down, so we must be careful what goes into our eye and ear gates. Watching videos, listening to music, and playing video games all have their place, but what is the content of that media? Does it glorify Jesus or the enemy? We need to be sure that we limit exposure to things that will keep us from thriving in our faith.
3. We must surround ourselves with others like us.
One little aloe vera wasn’t faring well, but once I had three, they were all so happy. As Christians, we are not meant to live this life alone. Instead, we must surround ourselves with other Christians. Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, and even more so as we see the Day of the Lord approaching. People who live for the Lord have different priorities than those of the world because we are all on the same journey. We can encourage and pray for each other and share stories about what the Lord is doing in our lives. Iron sharpens iron, and being around other committed Christians helps us grow to be more like Jesus.
Not Growing as a Christian?
Being born again by the Spirit of God happens in a moment, but spiritual maturity is a process. If you are stagnant and drooping, not growing as a Christian, maybe you’re trying to live the aloe vera life in pothos conditions. You might be in the wrong location and need to expose yourself to more Light. Or maybe you have been drenching yourself in the world or just need to surround yourself with other like you. Once you get your environment situated, the Lord will give the increase. Soon enough, you will start to grow.
If you like analogies about plants, try Beware of Spiritual Mistletoe: An Analogy. Or, try Waiting to Bloom: Christians Are Like Century Plants. Please sign up to receive my blog in your email. Also, check out my YouTube Channel where I read the blogs out loud. I also have a playlist of hymns from my church.
A very good analogy!! Plants were never meant to grow in the bathroom, They like to be around people sitting in window boxes or on shelves next to the window where they can get sunlight & I suspect you are right, one plant can get lonely just like humans. I have learnt over the years that you only water a plant once a week at most but mainly only when you stick your finger in & the soil is dry & so in summer maybe once a week but in the winter it can be only once a fortnight to three weeks. Your plant is a succulent so a soak in the sink for an hour once a week or fortnight is fine as it grows in the desert. Mine is in a pot outside & gets watered occasionally or when it rains & seems to be doing okay. It has other plants around it who also suffer from the same fate. I grow African violets indoors & am rather haphazard about their watering. So they certainly dry out & then I notice them & plonk them in the sink of water to soak for an hour or two. The African bulb plant above on the top shelf ‘said it was hard to kill, just water once a month’ So that is what I do. Every first Saturday of the month I pour 600 mls of water on it from a water bottle I kept for this purpose. Maybe 2 times a year I might add fish emulsion to the water to feed it & so far so good. However, my daughter starved hers to death simply by not watering it at all… That by the way is what she does to all her plants. We have some more on the front porch she bought home & they are slowly dying there as they never found their way inside or out the back to her herb garden where they usually die. I also feed my African violets once or twice a year if I remember. Your analogy has set me thinking about my poor plants which are flowering again, by the way… So I must be doing something right!! I also talk to them on occasion & let them know that I appreciate them; but I will be thinking of this analogy when I do tend them.
It sounds like you have that green thumb I mentioned! I should talk to mine too. Thanks for the tip! Love ya, Sis!