The other day, I noticed that my hibiscus plant had some leaves that looked chewed up. I turned one or two over and saw teeny black bugs. I’m not necessarily afraid of bugs but when they’re in your home…yuck!
I reached out to my gardening expert friend for a virtual diagnosis: aphids. Her prescription? Wash each leaf with soapy water. My first response was “That’s alot of effort.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to save the plant, but with a full schedule, I was struggling to find the time to do what I presumed would be a painstaking process. Her other option was to toss the plant, which honestly was quite tempting until I recalled its beautiful blooms. I decided to give it a shot.
It’s All About The Process
I removed the half-eaten leaves, which would essentially cut my work by at least a third. (This was either laziness or efficiency – haha!) Then, I washed each leaf front and back with a soapy paper towel, rinsed the entire plant and let it dry.
Time will tell if my effort pays off, however here’s what God put on my heart through this process:
- Anything worthwhile takes effort and time.
- Even though it’s boring, difficult, or time consuming, don’t give up.
- Spend your time on fruitful things.
- If something is truly unsalvageable, toss it.
The Bible tells us that we are to bear fruit (John 15:16). What does that mean? It means that whatever we do, there should be some evidence of it to the world. For example, when you look at an apple tree and see its fruit, you know it’s an apple tree.
Likewise, as believers in Jesus, people should see the fruit of this relationship in our lives. We should be looking like “mini Jesus’s “ because we are His representatives. To be a good “brand ambassador,” we should “wear the brand for all to see.”
Is It Time To Prune?
What do we do to bear good fruit? First, we have to examine the things in our lives that are worth preserving and the things God wants us to cut out or leave behind. My pruning of the half-eaten leaves is a good example of this.
The Bible is full of people who had to prune things to follow God’s plans. Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, the apostles, and so many more. To make room for the new things, the God things, usually requires us to let go of the old things. This might be something physical – like our home, relationships, or a job. Or perhaps it is bad habits, attitudes, or wrong beliefs.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)
The Bible tells us that when we put our faith in Jesus, when we declare Him as Lord and Savior over our life, we become a new creation. Our inner self becomes new. However, this doesn’t mean our outer self changes. That’s the part we have to work on and with God’s help, we can.
“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (Matthew 19:26 NKJV)
Decide to Move Forward
How do we do this? First, we have to identify what’s eating us. What’s stealing our joy? What’s bearing no fruit? Next, we have to develop a plan to stop the damage. Then, we put that plan into action and evaluate our efforts. Rinse and repeat.
We all want to give up when the going gets tough but it’s important that we don’t give up too soon. Believe me, about five minutes into my plant cleaning, I wanted to toss it. But I kept going. Likewise in life, our solution or breakthrough may be right around the corner…IF we don’t give up.
I’m hopeful I will enjoy the beautiful blossoms of my hibiscus plant as the warmer weather approaches. However, if not, I can rest easy knowing I did all I could to save it.
I want to encourage you that if your life is not bearing the fruit you’d like it to, examine the “tops and bottoms of your leaves.” Throw out what’s broken, clean up what’s left, and watch what God will do with the rest.