When I first came to Hurstbourne Christian Church my sister got me a Bonsai tree. It is a beautiful Juniper or was a beautiful Juniper. It has two sweeping large branches hanging over a rock wall, and to the side is an interesting little beard figurine with a fishing rod. I really like this Bonsai and for the last several months it has been perched on the end of my desk. However, there is one major flaw in this situation. I have the opposite of a green thumb. Any plant I have ever had has died, and rather quickly too.
I hoped that, this time would be different. I was going to keep this Bonsai alive. I asked Cheryl, who got her degree in horticulture, how best to care for a Bonsai. I followed her advice the best I could. I water the plant a bit, but not too much. I put it on my desk in a bit of sun, but not too much. I even occasionally whispered sweet words to it.
A few months past and the Bonsai seemed fine. Then it didn’t. It turned more and more yellow each day. The ends became hard and would fall off if even slightly touched. The peace and tranquil scene of this plant against its rock background became more and more depressing. I gave the plant to Cheryl to take care of while I was away on the mission trip. I hoped that she would be able to bring it back to life, but even she couldn’t make it better. Now, this little Bonsai sits on the window sill in my office, in plant hospice care, turning more and more yellow and brown day by day. I wonder where I went wrong. Why this plant is dying like all the rest of the plants I have had, but I can’t figure it out. It just is, but I am not ready to give up.
If it does finally die, I will get another plant. I am determined to keep one of them alive. In our lives, we often find times that we fail. We just cannot let that failure be the end. Christ died on a cross, only to rise from the grave. Our failure is not the end, it is only the beginning of our journey to success. So, if you walk into my office in the next few weeks you may see a dying plant, but I know that someday I will have a nice green beautiful plant in my office!