“What’s this?” asked my friend as she started cleaning behind an end table in my living room. I looked her direction only to see her pull up a slim but nearly bare stem of a plant that was over 5 feet long! There were many “branches” at the end of this stem so it appeared to be a root system looking for a place to secure itself.

I was surprised (and embarrassed) to see such a thing in my living room but I had not been able to get behind furniture to clean for several months after my back surgery. I expected lots of dust bunnies but not a living root system! We followed the stem and eventually found that it had grown into the house between the wall and the baseboard right by one of the windows. But where had it started?

Eventually, I did discover its origin. I had gone outside to take my garbage can back to its place when I noticed a weed growing from just a tiny bit of dirt in a crack where the concrete sidewalk and the siding met. As I surveyed the plant I realized that it had squeezed behind the siding and appeared again in the window frame. Apparently, the roots in my house were looking for a place to connect to a water and food source for that weed. It was really quite amazing!

There are many lessons to be learned from everyday life if we pay attention to what happens around us. I see at least two lessons here.

First, that tiny plant found itself in a place where there was minimal soil to nourish it, so, it sent its roots on a difficult journey, but in the wrong direction. In the same way, when we find ourselves in challenging situations, we need to keep searching for hope. We could not explain to the plant that it was going the wrong way but we humans can understand that the only place to find true nourishment and comfort is in Christ alone. We need to settle our roots deeply in Him. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit,” (Jeremiah 17: 7-9 NIV).

Second, it’s easy for sins to creep into our lives without us noticing until it spreads into our personal space. We must guard against such invasions. In the spring, I intend to keep watch for any weeds growing in the crevices by my house. I need to do the same in the crevices of my life so that I am not overcome by temptations. “I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw, (Proverbs 24:30-32 NIV).

Those are some pretty harsh words! May we learn from what God has shown us we need, in order to grow strong and healthy from God’s Living Waters so that we do not become lazy as one who has no sense!