I love to journal and when creating my title page for the month of January this year, I was drawn to some pictures in a magazine of the ‘Cactaceae’ Family and thought I would dig a little deeper on what makes the ‘cactus’ tick!
Then, to add to this information I gleaned, I also read a blog where someone shared their thoughts on the humble cactus!
‘We each have a story. A story of neglect, of anger, of harsh environments. Even for those that “grew up in the church”, there are seasons where we’ve walked through the desert without a word from God, and of course those times when, as Scripture references, “we walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.
In the Bible, Paul wrote a letter to the Colossians that encouraged them to keep growing, despite any neglect or harsh environments they would face:
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
And I love that he used the word rooted, or in the Greek “rhizoo”, which means to become stable.
Have you seen cacti? They grow at an average rate of 1 inch every 8 years! Now that’s what I call stable. Slow. But stable nonetheless.
Our circumstances can often unroot us from remembering the promises God has for us. Sometimes, waiting on God in harsh environments, and valleys of the shadow of death, and times of neglect from the people we love, can often break us.
But it doesn’t have to. It doesn’t break the cactus. That stable, rooted plant that grows even in the harshest of environments. In fact, I believe it grows and overflows with thankfulness to the Father. Why shouldn’t we do the same?
Prayer Prompt: Holy Spirit, would you search my heart and show me the areas of my life that are still not rooted in Christ? Teach me to be like a cactus, that despite my circumstances, whether harsh seasons, or my harsh past, I will continue to be rooted in you, strengthened in the faith, and overflowing with thankfulness. Let me look to you and remember the promises you have for me. Amen.’
I love that they refer to the cactus as ‘stable’ = firmly fixed or not likely to move or change (dictionary)
As mentioned above, I love how the Message Bible puts it in verse 17 of the same passage…
‘…sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.’ – Colossians 3:17 MSG
As you start your 2023 year off, may you too ‘Sing your heart out to God’ and stand firm for what He has in store for you and that every aspect of all you do would shine a path to our Saviour, Jesus Christ to be a beacon for others to know and come into relationship with Him this 2023.
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