Back while I was attending UCLA, my roommate received several potted plants from her friends. Unfortunately, she didn't quite have a green thumb and her roommates were no help either. But this didn't stop us from naming the plants. Sadly though, the plants died. It was all very tragic. To celebrate their short lives, my roommates and I held a memorial service for the perished plants one afternoon. We all wore black, said something nice about each named plant and sang "It Is Well with My Soul" before throwing them into a large garbage bag.
This experience immediately came to my mind when a friend recently gifted me with a potted plant. Like my roommate in college, my thumb is also greenless. (The only reason why my garden in LA thrives is because Jesse planted it and cares for it.) To make matters worse, I don't even know what kind of plant I've been given. It's all very stressful. I can't even bring myself to naming it... which is unlike me because I tend to name things all the time (i.e. my computer, my car, etc.)
Therefore, I'm attaching two pictures of my plant in hopes that someone can identify it for me and tell me how to care for it. Please help!!!!
God has blessed me tremendously through the years. I have had some really good friends. However, as life changed and as characters were molded in different ways, many friendships gracefully dissolved or even ended in heated arguments. The latter is worse. Such relationships feel like they'll never be repaired. The callous words and actions are ingrained in our memories... the daggers still sticking out of the hearts. Nothing will ever be the same.
Or so it seems.
Yet, God is a God of the impossible.
As I was praying this morning and considering how God has brought me to where I am at this moment in time, I realized that some of my "old friendships" have grown anew. I never would have thought that this could happen. I can still remember the hurts I felt and the hurts I've caused. Such things have not been erased, but God has brought us back into each others' lives. He has brought these friendships back. We have come full circle.
And even though I've been feeling rather down in the dumps lately, this little morning reminder brought me some hope... hope for renewal. Renewal may come in the form of repaired relationships. And renewal may come in the form of remembering my first love in Christ. It may even come in the form of a good night's rest.
If you're feeling broken or rundown, I pray that you find renewal too. I pray that you find hope. It's there... you've just got to close your eyes in prayer before God and open your eyes to the beauty He desires for you.
Yikes... sorry for sounding like a Hallmark card. I'm writing from my heart.
Within the last couple of months, I have had several friends go through relationship breakups. With each story of heartache, betrayal and/or devastated expectations, my heart physically hurts for them. I'm not sure exactly what has brought me to this place, but it goes to show that God has been working in me. In the past, when I heard of people's broken relationships, I felt bad, but I didn't ache for them. Am I actually learning empathy in my old age?
Even though I cannot reveal any names nor specific situations, I ask that you pray with me for these individuals. Please pray that God heals them and fills their emptiness with His amazing love. Pray that they may find their worth in Him, and not in others nor in relationships.
And if you're feeling emptiness in your heart, please lift it up to God. I truly believe He can fill any emptiness that we may have. He is the Love of all loves. May we seek Him together. And may we find wholeness in Him.
It is no secret that I abhor corn. People often ask me why and I tell them that I dislike the smell, the taste, and the texture. People are usually puzzled by this because corn is apparently loved by the majority of people. However, I am here to tell you that CORN CAN KILL!
I personally "witnessed" this while watching Witness (a 1985 film starring Harrison Ford) for class last week. At the end of the film, the bad guy is "drowned" and suffocated in a corn silo when tons of corn kernels bury him alive.
Therefore, I have conclusively proven that corn can kill. (Wink, wink.)
