I am a plant killer. I absolutely love plants, but over the years, I have caused more plants to suffer than I would like to admit. I am able to kill a jasmine, gardenia or begonia rather quickly, but for other unfortunate types such as a hibiscus, palm tree or orchid, their death can be a long, drawn-out process. I have learned that there are certain plants that I can do well with and others that I need to stop bringing home no matter how much I love them.
One of my favorite plants is a bougainvillea, a plant that thrives down in the south. I had an absolutely gorgeous one for quite a few years; I loved that plant and took good care of it. However, a couple of years ago, I got in a funk, and while trying to keep my head above water, I stopped caring for my plants. When the difficult season ended, and I went out to clean my sunporch, I was sad to see that my beautiful plant had died.
This summer while vacationing down in the south, I decided it was time to replace my plant. I was doing much better this year and thought I could handle gardening again. However, less than three weeks after I brought my new bougainvillea home, it had lost almost all of its leaves. I had gotten too busy and forgotten to water it. The poor thing was dying of thirst, and I was crushed.
I watered the thirsty plant right away and gave it plenty of attention for the next few weeks. Thankfully, less than a month later, the plant that had been on the brink of death has made a wonderful recovery.
All living things need water to survive. Plants wilt, lose their leaves and die without water. Animals become dehydrated and die without water as well. When we ourselves haven’t had enough to drink, we get thirsty. God created us that way to keep us from getting dehydrated and dying.
God created us with another type of thirst as well. While our physical bodies thirst for water, our soul thirsts for something more. God created us to long for him, and nothing else can satisfy that longing. Psalm 42:1-2 says,
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
When we aren’t spending enough time with God, our soul starts to thirst for him. We become restless, unsatisfied and discontented. We long to hear him speak through his word in the Bible. We long to commune with him in prayer. We long for his presence, his joy and his perfect peace. We long for rest in him.
Maybe you are thirsting for God and don’t even realize it. Are you unsettled and dissatisfied? Only God can fulfill our deepest needs and desires. It is He who brings us true healing, joy, purpose and peace.
If you are finding yourself in a dry and weary season of life, stop depriving yourself of his living water. Shift your focus back to Jesus and let him quench your thirst and refresh you.