Life Loving Jesus

To me, Easter means the gift of new life. Because Jesus lived a perfect life, I get to live eternal life. And that eternity begins NOW. This moment.

I get to live a life worth living, a life with meaning and purpose and depth. I step up to claim my place as a daughter or son. And there, looking into the Father’s eyes, through the sacrifice of Jesus I worship.

I want to tell you 2 miracles.

I propagate succulents. And sustain plants and flowers. There is one random tomato plant that has sprung up out of no where, but thats not even part of this story. I acquired succulents in November 2016, not too long ago. A couple months ago I noticed some of my plants growing weirdly, and discovered that they were not getting enough sunlight. So I looked up ways to help them out, when I discovered I could propagate them to create baby succulents etc. So thats what I did.

There was this one, that had fat juicy leaves filled with water. It was awesome, and one day I noticed it shriveling up a little. It was like that for a while, and today I uprooted it from the pot it was in to check out what was going on. It looked like there was a super long stem before, that had been dead for a while. Two-thirds of the stem was brown and shriveled. I also noticed that there were some new roots growing out of what looked like the base of the live part of the stem, and this is the miracle. Even though a string of dead stuff hangs onto us, we can grow new roots, starting at the present moment. Wherever we are, we can grow roots, reaching out into the soil of Jesus, soaking up His water of life, and growing deeper and deeper into the earth. The master gardener will trim off the stuff when it’s time. Trust Him.

One of my pansy plants is in a clay pot, and one day I came home and it looked dead. It was totally flat and withered, a little brown, and dry. I watered it, and it came back to life! Not right away, it took about a day, but it is upright and happy again. Funny thing though, the new flowers its growing have a different color pattern… This is the miracle. The pansy plant is a new creation. It is the exact same plant, but it is producing a new and different flower ~ a beautiful one, a showcase of life. Jesus wants to continue the perfect work He started in you since you were a thought in His mind. Transformation starts small. Bit by bit. Its a process that takes a lifetime, however long that life might be.

Here is what I love about plants. Plants never stop growing. They are either growing or dying. Usually they are dying to grow. New life comes from death – death of our old self. Literal dying of who we used to be, and allowing Jesus to grow us new. I don’t want to die, so I choose to grow. The Word of God shows me the example of Jesus: the way He lived in humble service; and shows me a picture of what I want to be. What I’m striving for. I don’t have a particular way of going about it, I simply follow the instructions I’ve been given. The way of the Spirit is abundant life, full of fruit, overflowing with joy.

Today an offer is extended to you, to profess Jesus Christ as the son of the living God. Miracles you have seen, testimony you have heard. Now “come, and follow me” He says, “my way, my truth, my life. Imitate me. I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.”

Eternity begins now. This moment. Don’t wait to die, work with others towards renewed paradise.

“Behold I make all things new.” Revelation 12:5