It had been bothering me, in the back of my mind, for weeks.
That little nudge that something was wrong.
With my houseplant.
On cleaning days, as I scrubbed and polished countertops, pausing to drizzle water over each pot of greenery, one seemed a bit pale, and droopy.
This surprised me because it was an offshoot of my other philodendron which stood tall and stately, flourishing and stretching by the week. Yet this sagging sprig now dangled limply in my office. It had previously appeared happy but now looked quite pathetic.
All of this was faded background noise as I went about my daily work. It hovered along the edges of my mind, traipsing about the periphery.
//
The other morning, I awakened two hours before usual and padded downstairs, surprising two sleepy-eyed dogs. It was still pitch dark.
With a busy week ahead, I was grateful for this unplanned jump to my day. As the coffee maker groaned and brewed, and the dogs crunched kibble, I hunched over our kitchen island, scribbling a cursory list on a pale blue index card. Things I needed to finish before a bustling weekend.
Suddenly I jumped, startled, as a mighty and explosive crash erupted from my office.
Running to the scene I took stock and winced. My hanging plant, wrought iron hook and all, had fallen from the wall and shattered into a million pieces.
Ivory shards scattered far and wide, intermingled with wet soil and my tired, wilted plant.
The ceramic pieces were sharp against my fingertips as I bent low and scooped them into the trash bag.
And the roots of the fallen plants?
Rotted.
//
It is profitable to take personal inventory, paying close attention to your life’s surroundings. Are your relationships, systems, and work robust and God-honoring? I am not suggesting that healthy things are easy, but are their roots strong, abiding in Christ and ordered by Scripture? If something seems off, investigate.
Has a relationship soured? Is your home fraught with tension? Are you spinning your wheels trying to outwardly improve something that is unhealthy at a core level?
It is crucial to look squarely at what is and name it. Have eyes to see what is root-rotted, and spiritually dead. Some things might appear healthy for a season but are not. Diseased roots, left alone, will give hints.
Sweep up and toss away the godless debris scattered in your life, heart, and home. Take stock, rather than noticing with an Oh well! If you ignore the decay, the plant will wither and die.
But also remember, even if you have done your part–watering, feeding, and offering sunlight–God, in his perfect wisdom, may ordain an office floor full of broken pottage and soil.
Trust him.
Abide in Christ, feasting on prayer and Scripture, and watch as your roots grow strong, deep, and anchored. And then, when life crashes and soil and ceramic spill and scatter, you will be prepared, healthy at the root level, as God transplants you into fresh soil, to thrive again.
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward.
Isaiah 37:31
The Palest Ink 