Water Your Flowers

"I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land."
Psalm 143:6 (NIV)

I started out to the gazebo for some quiet time with God when I found them…dead. I’d finally done it. The New Guinea Impatiens that my husband specifically asked to be planted in the hanging baskets were scorched and wilted worse than ever. I quickly grabbed the watering can and soaked them, hoping for a miraculous recovery.

My first point of defense here is that I simply do not have a green thumb. I don’t even have a green pinky toe. (Thank goodness! That would be kind of gross.) Truly, any flower or plant that survives around here is a credit to my husband’s tender care. If he doesn’t water them himself, he reminds me to do it. This puts a lot of pressure on me when he’s out of town, especially in the middle of summer.

I have good intentions when I initially plant, but a week or two later I find myself wandering outside to find half dead plants crying faintly, “Help! Water! A little drink please!” Why do I struggle with this so much? I think about watering them daily, but something always distracts me and before I know it, tomorrow has come and the plants are parched and wilting.

After I watered the flowers, I went on with my devotion time. It was rich and refreshing; a wonderful relief from the weight of life that I’ve been carrying lately. Weight that has sapped the life out of me as the sun’s heat sapped the life out of my flowers. Circumstances and a busy schedule have kept me from the most important part of my day…time with God. As I sat quietly, listening for God, I simply heard, “Water your flowers.” What? “Water your flowers.” I looked up to see them, still wilted, but slightly perkier than 30 minutes before, and realized that I too have been parched. People around me have noticed, asking, “Are you alright? You seem a little…tired.” I have been. I’ve described myself lately as dry, heavy, and almost dead. I can’t seem to write. (Have you noticed?) Have you ever been there? Sunday worship brings refreshing, but by the middle of the week, you’re wilted and needing more. I think daily about spending time in the Word and prayer, but something always distracts me and before I know it, tomorrow has come and my soul is parched and wilting. Just as a weekly watering won’t sustain my flowers, neither will a weekly encounter with God sustain my life. I need to spend time with my Father, my Source, my Spring of Living Water DAILY.

Yes Father, I’ll water my flowers, and my soul. What a difference it makes.

You know, I went out a few hours later to find my flowers amazingly bright and refreshed, and so was I.