Two Lessons from a Goldfish Plant
By Doug Bing, Washington Conference president
What do you do when you are impatient and thrifty (my wife would say cheap) at the same time?
Let me back up for a moment.
This summer my son decided that he wanted some house plants for his new college apartment. He went shopping for different house plants and came home with a goldfish plant.
Having never heard of such a plant, I was intrigued. His particular plant had not started to bloom yet, so I looked online to see get an idea of what the flowers would be look like. They look very much like gold fish.
So, I immediately got plant jealousy. I wanted to have one of those plants and I wanted it in full bloom. That is my impatient side. However, I also have a thrifty (cheap) side and didn’t want to pay for a fully formed plant in full bloom.
Thus, I conducted more research to see where to purchase the seeds and while doing so found that indeed you can grow them from seeds, but you can also obtain a small cutting from another plant and you will have a head start in growing them.
You guessed it.
My thriftiness won and I took a cutting from my son’s plant and started it in my own planter. So now I wait patiently or impatiently for my little cutting to grow because I was too thrifty to buy my own plant. I will have to be very patient because my plant is very small, and it will take some time. I hope that the flowers will be worth it.
Jesus told a story about plants when he shared the story of the four kinds of soils and the seeds that were planted in each of the soils. In speaking of the seeds planted in the good soil, he stated in Luke 8:15—
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those whom having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
As I reflected on this text this week, it was a great reminder for two reasons.
First, Jesus will grow us spiritually as we spend time in Bible study and prayer. When Jesus is planted in our hearts, He will produce good results in our lives as we continue to dedicate our lives to Him.
Second, when we plant a seed in the good soil of someone’s life, we need to be patient and let the soil do its work. If it is planted in good soil, it will grow and produce in God’s time and in God’s way. We just need to let God be God and He will take care of the seed and of the growth that needs to happen in each situation.