I have heard it said many times that people always start out with a plant before they get a pet because plants are easier to take care of. If they don't kill their plant, then they won't kill their pet. To me this seems like a pretty bogus idea. I mean yes...a pet needs to be exercised, watered, fed, loved, etc... and a plant only needs water and a new pot every once in a while (and love too, I suppose)...but there's one very important difference between the two. A pet will tell you when it's time to be fed. For example, my dog will bug you and stare at you until you feed her. She won't let you forget that she's there and she's hungry. A plant, on the other hand, does not do that. It cannot talk, it cannot stare at you, and the only way it tells you it needs water is when its leaves start yellowing and falling off. And even that is only if you ever look at the thing. No no, pets are MUCH easier to keep alive.
So I started thinking...which most represents our relationship with God? I came to the conclusion that our relationship with God is like taking care of a plant. Stay with me on this one. Does our relationship with God take work? Yes it does. We cannot neglect this work, either. If we forget to "add water," it will eventually die. Our relationship cannot stand on its own, it won't thrive, and it won't grow without commitment and work. Obviously it takes longer to maintain our relationship with God than to water our plants; we have to read the Bible, we have to meditate on the Word, we attend church where we can worship and fellowship with others, and we PRAY. We should be in constant conversation with God to keep a healthy relationship.
I bet you're wondering now what makes this relationship easier than our other ones. Here's the beauty of being in a relationship with God: No matter how many mistakes you make, He will NEVER turn His back on you. God loves you unconditionally. God is always there to protect you. God's arms are always open. And even though He may not always give you the answer you wanted, God will never disappoint you - eventually you will see that His plan is so much better and way more satisfying than your own. What does God want from you? He wants you to "add water." He wants you to talk to Him, trust in Him, believe in Him, walk with Him and study His Word every day. We do this in our other relationships. In fact, we devote a lot more time to our other relationships and yet, those people don't always love us unconditionally. They won't always be there. They cannot protect us from everything. They'll disappoint you as much as or more than you disappoint them. How ungrateful are we that we neglect the One who will never leave us?
How else is our relationship with God like taking care of a plant? Well, God doesn't always convict us very strongly to "water" the relationship. Just as a plant sits quietly, God allows us to exercise our own free will no matter how much it hurts Him. Yeah, God will tug at your heart. He'll make sure you know He's still there every once in a while. But every day you forget about Him, He'll become quieter and quieter. He's still there, waiting for you, hoping for you to come back around. But you forgot about Him. What's even worse is that you may never even realize it until you see all the dead leaves scattered on the floor. What happened? You let it fail. He was waiting for you. You stood Him up.
What is even better about God is that, unlike a plant, a relationship with Him can always be revived. I have heard such wonderful testimonies, and it doesn't matter how far gone a person goes, God is always there and waiting, and you can build that relationship back up again. Isn't it wonderful that it will never completely die away like a plant? I mean, I really find it comforting that, no matter how much I screw up or how far I stray sometimes, that relationship never fully dies. Even those who reject God completely can someday have an encounter with Him and have a changed heart.
We've been given a wonderful opportunity; the opportunity to talk to, share with, cry to, pray to, trust in, and lean on our Creator. He doesn't distance Himself from us. And while it's not like our other relationships, the ones we experience every day when we see and talk to our loved ones, it still takes attention. He chose not to distance Himself for a reason and that is because He wants this relationship with us. You just can't forget to add the water.
""Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord..."
-Jeremiah 29:12-14
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
-Matthew 6:6
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
-Romans 8:26
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints."
-Ephesians 6:18
"...pray continually..."
-1 Thessalonians 5:17
