Thriving

I’ve rebranded myself. I used to be notorious in my family for being a “plant murderer” but I have had a transformation, and I am determined to be a plant lover!

With this new enthusiasm I have bought myself some plants and I am determined to keep them alive and growing. I am like a new Mum fussing over her baby in the cot – absorbing every bit of advice friends are giving and checking their temperature and feeding needs relentlessly.

It was probably because I have something to prove with my new plants that I was struck by Psalm 52. `But I am like an olive tree thriving in the house of God.`  I looked up the reference in my Bible commentary and it said “that an olive tree lives a long time when cared for”.

You and I are cared for. God’s detailed care for us started at the very beginning of our creation. Psalm 139 says `He knit us together`. He planned us before a single day had passed. He places His hand of blessing on our head. His thoughts about us outnumber the grains of sand.

So many of us have had to take care of ourselves and be strong and independent – perhaps we even prize ourselves on not being needy. Maybe care from other people has been scarce and not something we could rely on. If we were a plant, we would be one of the more self-sufficient plants that can go long periods without much attention or provision.

But perhaps, just perhaps, we are missing something God has for us.

Today, why not look for God’s care. Lean into Him and ask Him to show you the outworking of His care in your life. As you are at work and need his help with that tricky colleague, as you are at home and lonely, or as you go to the doctor`s and sit in the waiting room, search in Scripture for His promises of care. Listen to worship and remind yourself of who this God who cares for you is.

Yes, we could do things ourselves today and be strong and able, but today, why not remind your heart that you are cared for? God has more. We don`t just have to survive. We can thrive!