Everywhere I turned, it seemed … every room … every little available space … had a flourishing cascade of healthy foliage. There were always signs of new growth … as filtered sunlight lit up the green into living color. Large pots … small pots … tiny pots … bronze pots … clay pots … some sitting … some hanging … she had them all. My mother loved her plants!
One day, in chatting with her about her plants, she let me in on one of her secrets of horticulture. Oh, she didn’t really have actual secrets about her green thumb! No, she loved to give tips and advice. Always wanting to learn more about how to have healthy greenery, I asked mom that day about where she got her plants.
Mom responded quickly, “Oh, I just get them at the grocery store. They do much better than if I get them at a flower shop. You see, they aren’t treated very nicely sometimes in a grocery store, so they are much stronger. They don’t look the best but their roots have grown deeper. Then, when I get them home, they flourish.”
Do you ever feel like just a plant, left on a grocery store shelf? As you look back over your life you see the years of neglect or mistreatment or abuse. The days blend into a collage of pain, anger, regret, shame and mistrust. Or perhaps you’ve been told that you’re worthless … that you don’t look as stunning as the other “plants”… leaving you feeling broken, damaged and un-loved.
Dear, sweet friend … If I could, I would take your beautiful face in my hands and look you in the eyes. I want you to listen with your heart.
The God of the universe, the One who formed you, who created you in His image, who calls you His masterpiece, who knows how many hairs on your head, who sees your tears, whose heart breaks for you in all that you’ve been through … sees you.
He sees you.
Many years ago, a young man who cared for sheep and then went on to be a writer, wrote these words, guided by God … “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:1,2 This same young man wrote, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit..” Psalm 34:18
Travel with me for a bit. Let’s go back a few thousand years and visit the land of Canaan. Before we have walked too far, we’ll find a home with a husband, a sad wife and a very upset slave named Hagar. This woman had been asked to bare a child for the husband, Abram, as his wife Sarai wasn’t able to conceive. Shockingly, this caused tension between Sarai and Hagar. Sarai mistreated Hagar, so she ran away. She escaped to an area in the desert near a spring. An angel of the Lord found her there … and asked her a timeless question … “… where have you come from and where are you going?” Hagar explained that she was running away from her mistress. The angel then instructed her to return to her mistress, and assured her that her descendants would be too numerous to count. Before leaving her, the angel told her to name her son “Ishmael” which means, “God hears.” Not only would Hagar obey the instructions, but she also gave this name to the Lord … “You are the God who sees me.” Genesis 16:13
He sees you.
Rest assured that during those days and years your roots were growing deeper and He saw you. The fact that you are here today, breathing and reading this story, shows that you have grown roots. God wants to take your life, and by His touch, turn it into a magnificent, cascading display of life.
Come to Him. Bring Him your broken heart, your damaged pot, your tangled plant. Place it at His feet, and surrender. He says to you, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
And then … my sweet friend … in that very moment, He will pour new life into you, He will cleanse your heart, put His Holy Spirit in you, become your Father and Friend … and will never leave your side.
He sees you.
“Dear One who sees me … Heavenly Father … Thank you for seeing me … in all the dark and confusing times … the lonely and lost times … the times when my heart was shattering into a million pieces. I now come to You, bringing the broken pieces. I surrender my will to Yours. Come into my heart and be Lord of my life. Thank you for loving me enough to die for me. Continue to grow my roots … using all my pain to make me stronger in You. I love you, Lord. In the mighty Name of Jesus…”