The summer after my senior year of college, I walked into a flower shop and walked out with a succulent. Like most of my plant purchases, it was an impulse buy. I’ve never had much of a green thumb, but succulents were trendy at the time and they’re supposed to be one of the easier plants to keep alive. I took it home, stuck it in a mason jar, and posted a photo of it on Instagram so my friends could see what a good plant mom I was.

About halfway through the summer I started to notice the leaves near the bottom of the succulent were turning a purple brownish color. I gave it a little more water, moved it to a place where the sunlight might be better, and hoped for the best.

By the end of the summer, the weird color had spread through almost the whole plant. No amount of water or sunlight could revive it. I finally did some research and realized that, as cute as my succulent looked in the mason jar, it wasn’t good for it to be in there. It needed a way for the water to drain.

By leaving it in there, I had drowned it.

The summer of the succulent was the same summer I was dealing with some ugly sin issues. The shame I felt over my choices had caused me to stop going to church, reading my Bible, and even praying. I didn’t want to give God the chance to convict me of my sin because I wasn’t ready to put in the work that healing would require.

In John 15:4, Jesus tells his disciples “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” He uses a plant analogy to get his point across, describing himself as the vine and us as the branches. In order to stay healthy enough to bear fruit, we must remain in Him.

So what does it actually look like to remain in Jesus? Jesus himself explains that remaining in him means following his commandments. (v. 10) When we’re living in sin, we’re not remaining in him. He has some strong words of warning for those who choose their way over his. “If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” (John 15:6) The reality is that unchecked sin leads to spiritual death. 

Just like I ignored my plant’s silent cries for help, I refused to look too closely at the damage my harmful choices were doing to my heart. By the time I let myself see what was happening to my poor little plant, it was beyond saving.

Thankfully, that is never the case with us. 

Jesus knows that the only way for His brothers and sisters to thrive in this life is to be rooted in the Word, drinking in the living water He offers and letting Him teach us how to live in the light. When we’ve strayed from the well for too long, He slips on his shepherd sandals and ventures into the wilderness to find us. (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:3-7) He comes looking for us when we’re lost, even when we don’t want to be found.

I am so thankful to have a God who, unlike me and my succulent, knows exactly what my soul needs. He is willing to put in the work to heal me. He sees the withered leaves of my sin and shame, and he loves me anyway — too much to leave me that way.

He is in the business of bringing dead things back to life.

ABOUT OUR BLOGGER 

Kati Lynn Davis grew up in Chester County and returned to the area after a brief stay on the other side of Pennsylvania to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works as a Library Specialist and earns a living mostly by reading children’s books. She’s pretty sure she’s an Enneagram 4 but is constantly having an identity crisis over it, so thankfully she’s learning to root her sense of self in Jesus. A few of Kati's favorite subjects to write about are social media, mental health, and films, and she especially loves to explore these topics through the lens of faith.