The Ministry Tableનમૂનો

See What Blooms!

I’m not the kind of person who has a green thumb. Most plants under my care are either overwatered or underwatered, and they either get too much sun or not enough sun. However, I love plants, flowers, herbs, trees, and so forth. I love how deeply rooted they get and draw up nutrients and all that they need through their roots—what a fascinating system! Whenever I am in nature, I love looking at how a plant's root structures rise up from the ground with their twists and turns that result in the branches with leaves, flowers, or fruit.

Just last week, I visited a local arboretum that featured a collection of bonsai trees and a vine from the 1500s. I marveled at the vine’s longevity and the fact that it was still producing living flowers in the spring and summer. When I first saw the vine in the winter, it looked like it was dried up and on its last legs, but returning to see the vine in the summer, I saw the lush green leaves and the flowers that were blooming from it. A few steps away, a collection of bonsai trees stood, and one of them had a root that looked hollowed out and extremely narrow, yet at the top of that root and trunk, there was a whole head of leaves thriving.

As I sat to contemplate this, it reminded me of the words of Jesus, where he reminds us that He is the vine and we are the branches. Sometimes we feel connected to the vine, and our fruit is apparent. Other times, though, we may feel like that hollowed out and thin root - barely holding on and wondering if there will ever be flourishing. But God, in His faithfulness and goodness, provides just what we need—even in seasons of difficulty where we are barely hanging on. Perhaps this is the season when we're dormant, but the nutrients are still being absorbed. Come spring and summer, you will see the blooms. Our faithful root and vine never leaves us or forsakes us, constantly feeding and caring for us, even when we don’t see it or realize it. So hang on, rest in that comfort and promise that He is our vine. God is eagerly waiting to see what blooms!

Reverend Phyllis Myung
Lead Pastor, New City Church of LA
Los Angeles, CA
https://www.newcitychurchla.com/