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Alex is about nine feet tall.  Crammed in a dark corner and dying when I got him perhaps six or seven months ago, Alex (who, by the way, is a corn plant) looked pretty hopeless — a goner, for sure — when I put him in my sky-lighted, high-ceilinged sun room.   And for months, he showed little other than ebbing life.  Still, I watered him, fertilized him, transplanted him into a bigger pot and set him upright when, on occasion, he would keel over.  Finally, just weeks ago, Alex stirred to life — first an inkling that the death rate was slowing, then a possible, tentative sign of new growth. 

 

Then, the other day, I walked by and whoa!  Look up!  Look up!  At the top if his nine feet (now pushing ten), Alex was sprouting new, healthy, richly green and vibrant leaves like crazy.  Healthy as a horse!  And the thought flashed into my head, an imaginary dialogue with Christ: “If I can bring a dead person back to life, I can surely make a plant whole … and take care of any piddling problems you may have.”  For an instant, the world made sense. 

 

My point:  God’s promise is not about odds and scientific calculations.  It is about faith, about carrying on with what we know is right, even (and especially) when everything looks pretty hopeless.  When times look bad, muddle through, hang tough, never give up hope, and keep on praying.  It will all make sense eventually.  — jri

 

“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

        –    Jesus Christ

              (addressing Jairus, the synagogue

               ruler, whose daughter had died)