I hate to admit it, but I am not a plant person.
I can’t tell you how many plants I have been gifted that sadly end up dying in my house. If I was given a rating for my gardening skills, it would be two green thumbs down.
Identifying the Real Culprit
In the past, I would blame my shortcomings on the difficulty of gardening. But as I reflected more, I discovered the real culprit: forgetfulness. I would just walk past my plants and ignore them as part of the background. Then after two weeks, remember that I did have plants, then forget again. It wasn’t until this past March when my wife was gifted Easter Lillies for her birthday, that I made a commitment to do my best to keep these plants alive. I’ve watered them, moved them to different soil, gave them lots of sunlight, and simply remembered them. Thankfully now in August, they are still alive! I never knew how satisfying it felt to be a plant guardian.
Reflecting on God’s Love
The story of my plant life helped remind me of God’s love for us. It is easy to feel forgotten and ignored by others and sometimes even by God if we feel our prayers aren’t being answered or the weight of the world is too much. But God is the supreme gardener, much more in care for our hearts than I could ever be for my flower. He loves us deeply and seeks to help us grow and flourish in full beatific beauty.
It amazed me how I could care for this small plant, and how I desired the good of it. But also, how easy it would be for me to forget about it again and go about my day without it making an impact. But the degree of power between man and God is far greater than the degree between the flower and me. God didn’t have to create us, but he did out of love. He didn’t have to care for us, but he got fully invested in our humanity, in the person of Jesus. The gravity of God’s power is connected to understanding the gravity of His radical love for us. And it is in awareness of that love that we can seek hope and comfort in the struggles of this world.
Gratitude and Growth
As I continue to grow in my gardening skills, I thank God for the gift of life and nature. As St. Paul of the Cross said:
'Let everything in creation draw you to God. Refresh your mind with some innocent recreation and needful rest, if it were only to saunter through the garden or the fields, listening to the sermon preached by the flowers, the trees, the meadows, the sun, the sky, and the whole universe. You will find that they exhort you to love and praise God; that they excite you to extol the greatness of the Sovereign Architect Who has given them their being.’
As I continue to grow in my gardening skills, I thank God for his continual work in me.
Daniel Quintero is a stand-up comedian currently attending Mary, Mother of the Church Catholic Parish. His favorite motto: “Awkwardness does not exist.”
Answering Christ’s call, Pilgrim Center of Hope guides people to encounter Him so as to live in hope, as pilgrims in daily life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
