THE CHRISTMAS CACTUS
Many years ago, when we were a new family with a young toddler and our second baby on the way, we lived on one side of a double shotgun that had the cutest little front porch. Life was good, but not without its fair share of pain and difficulties. Still, we loved sitting on our little front porch, giving thanks to God for His goodness, as we enjoyed the warm sunny days and sometimes the cool crisp nights. When the winter months set in, Kevin, my husband, who has always possessed a green thumb, decided that our front porch was desperately in need of a plant. The season progressed and he searched endlessly for the right plant to adorn the side of our entryway area. Finally, one evening while we were shopping for groceries, he laid eyes upon a beautiful cactus that had bright red flowers. After a closer look, he concluded that the plant was a Red Christmas Cactus and just like that his search for the perfect plant for our front porch was over. As we purchased the cactus, I marveled over my husband’s love for plants and looked forward to seeing the little plant near our front door. The deed done, we took this plant that symbolizes both love and joy home with us.
Working diligently, my husband cared for and watered our cactus throughout Winter and well into the Spring. This long-living plant, a native of Brazil, loved humidity and fit in perfectly in our Southern Louisiana sub-tropical temperatures. Preparing for a Fall bloom and Winter flowering, our Christmas cactus grew and thrived without any regard for the shifting circumstances that created the environment in which it was forced to live. The plant persisted despite the threat of severe weather, pests, diseases and other difficulties. Kevin laughed to himself and said that it was a resilient and long-suffering little plant.
One Sunday after leaving our church fellowship, our family returned home to find our little plant laying sadly on its side. Half of the dirt had been knocked out of it and a few of the leaves had been torn from it.
My husband and I could not believe what we were seeing. We wondered what had happen to our little potted plant. It did not take much time for my husband to give the cactus the attention that it needed. He got to work and not before long, the Christmas Cactus was re-potted and my husband said that it had a good chance of making it. I was relieved to hear that it could survive the attack that it had suffered. In an effort to protect the plant, Kevin took specific measures to ward off would be pest and in just a matter of days the cactus looked as good as new. Having been damaged and against all odds, it was even displaying new growth. We were both thrilled, since we had not been convinced that the little plant would make it this time around. Kevin gazed at the tough little plant in awe of it as it preached a powerful sermon. I imagined that if it could speak, we would have heard it crying out, “I shall live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17). The plant’s determination to survive was encouraging and stirred up our faith to continue to push forward through our own difficulties towards the fulfillment of God’s plans for our lives.
Weeks later, we stepped out onto our front porch to discover that yet again, our Christmas Cactus had been knocked over. We investigated the scene and shook our heads in disbelief, finding no clear explanation. Without any hesitation, Kevin went about the business of restoring our plant and would you believe it if I told you that the potted cactus not only healed, but it continued to persevere and do well in spite of everything, producing new growth and flower buds. This happened multiple times. The Christmas Cactus faced ongoing attacks from a seemingly invisible adversary that was intent on destroying it and stopping it from fulfilling its God given purpose.
The overwhelming truth was that even under the very worst of circumstances, the little plant refused to give up on being what God had created it to be. The Christmas cactus was relentless in its effort to do what God had created it to do despite its being presented with many legitimate reasons to just give up and die.
This little Christmas Cactus is the ultimate illustration of our spiritual growth as Christians in this world. Planted in the house of the Lord we are faced repeatedly with tribulations that work against us and yet, we flourish (Psalm 92:13). These tribulations attempt to persuade us into giving up on our faith in our relationship with God which we have received through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Troubles work to pull us out of our faith that has given us access to the grace in which we live and grow. The distress of this world tries to strip us of our steadfast hope to fulfill the Father’s call on our lives. Despite all of this, like the Christmas Cactus, we as Believers still determine in our hearts to cry out, “I shall live and not die, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17). We continue in our faith and refuse to allow the suffering that we face to stop us from “going on” to do what God has created us to do. When we determine in our minds that we will remain in faith, our suffering fails to rob us of our peace, joy and love of God, which the Holy Spirit has given to us and caused to overflow in our hearts. Because of our faith, we can experience fresh grace for each new day to continue to stand on the Word and give glory to God (Hebrews 4:16).
Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:1-5)
Sherlin Lewis