Last fall, my husband bought a beautiful hydrangea plant for the front of our new “old” house.  I was so ecstatic, because these are my favorite plants and it seemed the perfect spot for this bloom adorned bush.  Winter came and went and the now dormant looking plant showed no sign of life.  I waited.  I contacted my cousin, who is a master gardener and she told me to wait some more.  I waited some more.

Another month passed and then another.  At the beginning of June, we finally gave up and admitted that there was no life in the plant.  So we dug it up and replaced it with a new one.  Just for the fun of it, I planted the old carcass in the backyard garden, with no real hope of life returning.  Yesterday, when I went out to water the gardens, I noticed a small, green leaf protruding from the base of the plant.  It was alive!

It got me to thinking about how when we’re connected to Jesus (our vine and lifeline,) we thrive and live.  When we move away from that vine, we whither and die.  The lesson of the vine and branches came to mind.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”  John 15:4

This lesson from the Son of God is so true.  When we remain connected to Him, we have life – eternal life.  When we’re separated, the life is sapped out of us.  We can go through the motions of living, but our joy is destroyed.

When I gave up on that hydrangea bush, I had lost a little faith in God’s tender care, even of a dead plant.  God doesn’t give up on us.  We’re always on His mind and in His loving hands.  When we’re tightly bound to Him, we can be sure of His mercy as well.

So I learned a few lessons yesterday.  First, always abide in the Lord, for He will give us life.  Second, don’t give up on a dead looking plant.  Third. perseverance pays off.  I now have two hydrangea plants.  Woo hoo!