Being Still

Leafy is the name of my dearly loved fiddle leaf fig plant. I brought her home around the same time as I brought my sons home, so she is our love fern 😉

Lesson I am learning from leafy:

When I first got leafy I did some research about how to take care of fiddle leaf fig plants:

Lots of indirect light

Water about once a week )I figured about a cup of water)

And dust their leaves

I followed these instructions with my whole heart because I love leafy and I want her to do well. And guess what! She did. She did so well she got taller she grew new leaves, she looked so great until… her leaves started to turn brown and many fell off. I went back to the internet to try to find what went wrong. ROOT ROT. I was giving her too much too often and her roots were far too saturated she began to rot from her core out.

So I quickly changed her pot, gave her more soil, and l e f t h e r a l o n e. She is happy again, although she no longer looks as glorious as she did in her youth. She need to rest, she needed the dry season and so do you dear friends.

It’s so hard for me to not DO. I like really love to serve, I love to work hard knowing that I am working for Jesus. I enjoy checking things off of lists and giving my loves all I got. I don’t like the holy tension between all that could be done and what is mine to do.

I can fill my self up with so many good works that I work myself to death. If I have a spare moment I clean a floor, check social media, read my bible more, call a friend or family member, get super intentional with whoever is in front of me.

But here is the the thing even though these are all neat things that should be done they are not necessarily the next right thing for me or for you. They are rewarding for sure you might grow some new leafs and stuff but here is the thing unless you give those roots a break you are gonna rot my friend.

It’s hard to know when we need to do and when we need to wait. Most of the time I don’t know, and I think I know why.

We are sheep. We need our shepherd to lead us and make us rest! We need him to restore us! I think of the jubilee year where slaves were meant to be freed and land was meant to rest.

We need to get some time to be alone with our good shepherd, not requesting, not studying, not serving. Just breathing in and out and waiting. Trusting.

“You know before I do

Where my heart can seek to find Your truth

Your mercy is the shade I’m living in

You restore my faith and hope again”

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Psalms 23:2-3

Be still and know psalm 46: 10