Leaning Toward the Light
A devotional by Jessica Brodie
“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’”—Luke 19:39-40 (NIV)
Have you ever really paid attention to the little kernels of joy God gives us in the everyday? He gives us signs and promises in even the most mundane or commonplace things. For example, my house plants.
As much as I’d love to say otherwise, I’m not terribly great at all things domestic. But one thing I’ve mastered is taking care of my house plants. Through hard work, I’ve figured out how to keep them alive. I’ve actually had one since before my son was born—and my son just turned 20.
My plants—seven at last count—are all grouped together behind my kitchen sink in this little triangular nook, nestled between two large windows. What I think is so neat is how they tilt. It doesn’t matter how I turn them or what position they started out in, but after I’ve watered them for the week, as the week progresses, I noticed them curving ever so slightly to the left, toward where they get the brightest morning sun. Their entire bodies seem to quiver in expectation of the love and nurturing they get from that sunlight. After all, they need that light to grow and thrive, to be healthy and strong.
We are a lot like those plants, only our life source isn’t necessarily the sun—it’s the Son (Jesus Christ), right along with the Father (God) and the Holy Spirit. God, three in one, is the preserver and savior and lover of our souls, the one who provides the only things we truly need.
We think we need the things of this world to survive. We think we need money and shelter and all those other creature comforts, but really we just need the Lord because He provides everything else. He provides exactly what we need, and He takes care of us in every circumstance.
Yet in response, what do we do? Like my house plants, do we swivel our bodies and our hearts and our minds toward Him, desperate for His love and all He provides? Do we stay where we are, sturdy in our own prideful, misguided notion that we can take care of ourselves just fine, thank you very much? Or do we turn the other way and seek comfort in things that have nothing to do with Him? Things like worldly, fleshly pleasures?
I think my plants know best. And I think we’d all do well to mimic them—to let our whole selves naturally incline toward the Lord. Reach for Him. Long for Him. Dance for Him. Bask in His love.
Like the plants, we were created intentionally for the Lord. As sentient beings, we have free will—the will to turn our lives toward God or away. But I think deep down we know what we were created for, and what is truly best for us, just like the plants do and just like animals do.
We were created for the Lord.
I choose to act that way. I hope you do, too.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Lord,
I love You—but I don’t always act that way. Sometimes I let other things get in the way of my love for You, my focus on You, and the things You want me to focus upon. I let my worldly wants and cares distract me from what is most important. Help me to honor the pure and righteous relationship You created me to have with You. Help me to push aside the unimportant and instead to focus on You, your love, and your intended purposes for my life. And help me to love others in your name, now and forevermore. In Jesus’s Name I pray.
Amen.
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Song of Reflection #1: “Thirst for You” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: “Artist of My Soul” by Sandi Patty. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.
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Song of Reflection #1: “Thirst for You” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: “Artist of My Soul” by Sandi Patty. Listen to it here.
~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism.
Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots, are Amazon bestsellers. Her third novel, Hidden Seeds, releases in May.
Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.
She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.
