THE STORY OF THE AFRICAN VIOLET


Just yesterday I was talking with two friends about the beautiful African violet on my kitchen table. It's absolutely stunning, and one of the prettiest ones I've ever had. God stopped by in the middle of our conversation , and this is what He showed me.

This one has a story and lesson to tell.

I bought this plant a few years ago; it was small and pretty. It's not the typical royal purple that I usually like, but rather a dark orchid color. I babied it, and it grew, I translated it to a bigger pot. Its flowered maybe once our twice a year. Then we got Midnight.

Midnight was a rescued kitten that had a broken leg. My granddaughter had called from her friend's house and asked me to help, so of course I did. He was beautiful, and almost completely black. I took him to the vet, his leg was casted, and although I thought he was a rescue and I was a foster mom, he stayed.  He was truly sweet and loving. As he grew, he became full of mischief and was always after my plants. One day, he broke the lovely African violet. The stem broke in half, and I was sure that was the end of it. But I hated to lose it.

I thought about it before I threw it away. I knew that you could start new plants from a leaf, and I had done this many times and given plants away to family and friends. I thought about starting a new one, but then I thought, what if this plant could grow new roots and survive? Seemed like it was worth a try, so I prayed and asked God to bless it and make it grow. I took off lots of the lower leaves, and trimmed off the broken stem to make it even. Then I put some fresh potting soil in its pot, and planted the stem about three inches deep. Time would tell.

The violet took some time to root and get strong. It was wilted and weak for quite a while, but I kept watching it, watered it when it got dry, and prayed for it to survive. And it did! It has grown and become one of the healthiest plants I've ever grown. The leaves are dark and shiny, and this year it has already bloomed three times! ( it is September as I'm writing this) I've never had one bloom this often. I water and feed it it regularly, and it has made a remarkable recovery. This most recent bloom is exactly like the blooms of plants grown for horticultural competition; all the blooms are standing up like a crown in the middle of the plant. Gorgeous.

So as my friends and I were talking about this, it occurred to us that this plant in comparison to the one sitting right next to it, is a mature plant. The other one does not seem to be so. They get the same love and attention, but one has grown so much more noticeably than the other.

It's like this in the Kingdom of God as well. Two people can sit in the same church, under the same teaching and leadership, go to the same home group and share other like experiences, but they will each grow in their own way. This is neither good nor bad, it's just the way it is. One leaps into everything  without  a doubt, the other takes more time and likes to check things out before taking the plunge. Both are part of the Kingdom, both have their own place in the body and their own calling of God. Both love the Lord and serve Him as they are abled to do so.  The one, more beautiful and more noticeable, the other, more contemplative and perhaps growing deeper, in the deep place where only God can see. Which one is of more value? As the eye sees, the beautiful one is. But as the eye of God sees, they are of equal value. He loves both with the same love, same passion, same willingness to help them grow.

So let there be no competition in the household of God. Let there be no judging, no weighing of service, in frequency or in perfection. Rather, let there be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. May we all be one, just as Jesus prayed in John chapter 17.

Thanks for stopping by today; I've been away for a while. I hope this blesses you.