High Maintenance

I learn I need to mist my gardenia (and now also my lemon tree—I didn’t know!) twice a day. Twice! Creating the right, humid environment for such plants requires constant vigilance. In contrast to my orchids which thrive on neglect, my gardenia is high maintenance.

It does remind me of our own need for daily misting, not just one, but twice a day with the Living Water. The thought reminds me of my early blogging at Live with Flair where every little thing I did became a spiritual lesson for me. With the gardenia, I think about my need for “day and night” exposure to God’s word, prayer, and His presence in worship and fellowship. Conditions around us only thwart our growth and safety; it’s a dry land with no nourishment for our souls. We go to God often throughout the day to keep the conditions right for us to live here.

I’m reading Abiding in Christ (another Murray book), and I love how he writes about this daily, high maintenance (but not burdensome) work:

“Every workman sets aside his time for dinner because it is important in his daily routine. In the same way, if we are to live through Jesus, we must feed on Him; we must thoroughly take in and assimilate the heavenly food the Father has given us in His life. Therefore, anyone who wants to learn to abide in Jesus must take time each day, before reading, while reading, and after reading, to put himself into contact with the living Jesus. He must yield himself distinctly and consciously to His blessed influence—giving Him the opportunity to take hold of him so that He may draw him up and keep him safe in His almighty life.”

Andrew Murray, Abiding in Christ

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