Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Watching plants can be very interesting. Though certainly
not in the sense that you would sit and stare at one for hours on end. Rather, they are
very interesting to observe as they grow and thrive and respond to their environment. It
would almost seem as though they think and plan to do what they do at times; though we
know that is not so. Yet it is so amazing how God made them in such a way so that they
naturally move toward what is good and nurturing.
One particular plant response, that is both common and noticeable, is a plants tendency to
grow or move toward the source of light. There are many plants that if set near a window
and left there long enough, they will turn their leaves to face the sunlight that is
coming through the window. They do so in such a way as to expose the broad surface of
their leaves to the incoming sun rays, and in so doing, they are able to draw strength and
energy from the source of light.
Another interesting aspect is the way the plant will grow its leaves. The new leaves seem
to begin somewhere near the center of the plant, at the top. And as they are unfurled it
is almost as if the leaf was itself a separate plant attached to the greater. It seems to
struggle and squirm to push itself outward so that one day it can serve its greater
purpose, and like the others it will stretch itself toward the light.
And while new leaves are always forming, it is true as well that the older leaves are
getting older and will one day fall to the ground. Perhaps we see here the "old
things" being passed away, and all things becoming as "new," discussed in 2
Corinthians.
We, like the plants, are ever growing in our relationship to our Lord. It is a
relationship where we, like the baby leaves, reside in the Greater plant. We struggle and
squirm through life and hope that somewhere in our efforts we will find our purpose for
being.
We, like the plants, have a natural need to draw toward the Light. Even as they are drawn
to the sun light, we are drawn to God's Light in Christ. For it is through Him that we
find our strength and nourishment. Indeed, we find all we need to grow the way that is
best. But unlike the plants, we have a choice that would sometimes go against doing what
is in our best interest. Should we decide to turn away from the Light rather than toward
the light, we will become weak--perhaps even to the point of death. After all, isn't that
what sin is--a turning away from God, even to the point of death.
We can learn a lot from a plant. We can see a similarity in how we grow into our
relationship with our Lord. Some things become old, and are passed away even as old
leaves; while new things continue to bud and stretch and take shape as we watch our
Creator Lord unfurl His plan in our lives. And we see in the plants a similarity in our
need for the Light. For it is His Light from which we draw our strength. And yet we
maintain our ability to choose, and it will always remain up to us which way we will grow.
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