Boxed Plants

1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (NIV)

It was time to take my boxed plants from their containers and place them out in the garden. Have you ever noticed how quickly the plants come along once they have the freedom to spread their roots and take in the sunshine?

Sometimes I think we are much like boxed plants, longing to spread our roots and take in the sunshine. On the other hand, we can feel the exact opposite. We can sometimes feel that we never wish to leave the enclosure of the box we have chosen to live in. Leaving the box can be a place in our time of life that is filled with either expectation or fear.

Let us try dwelling on the expectation — of a loving God in Whom to put our trust — even when change takes precedence in our lives.

For young people off to university for the first time or for the elderly going into a home for assisted living, both are embarking on new ventures, out of the box. They are just at opposite ends of the scale.

Let us count whatever it is as a blessing entrusted to us by God, and we will find ourselves experiencing a new-found situation as time out of the box — a place to grow, to spread new roots, and take in the sunshine.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we come to You in prayer this day, praying that You will give us new hope, new strength, in places unfamiliar to us. Enable us to feel the freedom that comes only from You in Your peace. In Jesus' name. Amen.