It was early July when my husband and I purchased something unusual from a yard sale. As we perused the offerings, we saw a shelf with several plants. One was a Christmas Cactus with a single pink blossom.
This popular house plant generally flowers in the winter. The bloom caught my attention and we decided to purchase the plant. When we paid for it we were told the plant must be confused and think it was Christmas. My husband joked that it was Christmas in July.
I thought back to a Christmas Cactus I’d had many years ago. In order to produce flowers at the right time of the year, I was told to put the plant in a cool, dark spot and ignore it. A few weeks before I wanted it to blossom, it should be brought into the light and feed and watered.
When I went to retrieve it I discovered that the poor plant had shriveled up and died. I didn’t want this one to suffer the same fate so searched the internet to learn how to properly care for my new plant.
As I often do, I related this experience to life. If I distance myself from Jesus, the light of the world, my life will be in a dark place. When my spiritual life withers I am not able live a productive life. It is by trusting in Jesus that the Holy Spirit is able to make my life will blossom with love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22 NLT)
Later, Jesus talked to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life.” (John 8:12 ESV)