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Perfectly planted
In the area of the country where I live, the summer months can be extremely hot and dry, especially when there is little or no rainfall from June to August. One summer afternoon a couple of years ago, I was watering my parched brown shrubs and plants just enough to keep them alive, when I noticed a small, very green, very healthy little plant outside the area I was watering.
On closer inspection, I was totally annoyed by what I saw. Without any of my help, the small green plant was growing out of a very tight crevice in the concrete between my driveway and the foundation of my house. My first thought was “If I wanted you to grow and be healthy, you probably wouldn’t!” Here I was, trying to water my shrubs just enough to keep them from dying, and this little plant was doing just fine on its own.
As I continued my watering chores in the yard, I couldn’t get that healthy little green plant out of my thoughts. Then I looked at the picture from a totally different perspective. If you stood back and looked at the small plant, it was in perfect alignment with the water faucet that was about a foot above it. As I used the faucet to do my watering, any water that dripped from where the garden hose was connected to the faucet fell directly on the spot where the plant had taken root.
Wherever we are, we are never separated from God’s love.
Well, a light bulb came on. Wasn’t it apparent what was happening here? I applied the situation to our own lives. If we choose to root ourselves in a solid foundation of truth, look upward to the Father as our source, and align our thoughts with His knowledge of man’s true, perfect being, we can experience all the nourishment and good that God has for each of us. This abundance that we receive and enjoy in our daily lives is manifested in health, supply, love, joy, and peace, and we will be sustained as we grow spiritually, no matter where we have been planted. How could I be irritated at the little plant for teaching me that?
In the Bible, the Apostle Paul says, “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38, 39). Mary Baker Eddy shares a similar concept: “Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it and abides with it. Divine Principle is the Life of man. Man’s happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense. Truth is not contaminated by error” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 304). Wherever we are, we are never separated from God’s love and constant care.
I’ve learned that we all need to grow, bloom, and let our light shine, even if at times we find ourselves “between a rock and a hard place.” Therefore, we should give our very best because God needs us in that exact place to express His goodness—no one else can fill our niche.