Growing in the Wall

The other day we were driving by a rock wall when I noticed various and sundry weeds and vines growing through its cracks and crevices (see photo above). How do they even do that? I wondered.

Plants must have three things in order to flourish: Something in which to grow their roots, water, and light. Amazingly, these plants are able to get enough of these three necessities through a tiny crack in a rock wall.

Sometimes, the things life throws at us makes us feel like we are a tiny seed sitting on a wall with nowhere to go. We are stuck on a hot surface without hope.

But those vines growing from that wall remind us that there is always hope. It just may not be quite like we had dreamed. Instead of waiting to be transported by a lovely wind to fertile soil, we need to just dig down into our current surroundings and sprout wherever it is we find ourselves this very day.

So often we want to wait until the conditions are perfect–

“I’ll start studying my Bible when….”

“We will go back to church if…”

“I’d like to attend that Bible study but I can’t until…”

“I’ll serve and help others when…”

WHEN…UNTIL…IF

things slow down a little

soccer season is over

I feel better

I retire

this terrible trial ends

We have a million reasons for why we are choosing to sit on that rock wall instead of putting our roots down right where we are. But that rock wall reminds us not to wait. It reminds us that we need to grow now. That we don’t have to wait. A form of rock wall will always be there because there will always be excuses that will keep us from walking with God. When one ends, we will think of another one.

But we can bloom right now–right where we are at. But how?

A few things that have helped me to do this through the years are–

• Make prayer and Bible Reading our first priority of the morning. I know people say you can do this anytime and that is true. There is no biblical command for morning Bible reading. But, in my personal experience, I find that if I wait until the end of the day, I will be too tired or too distracted. It seems I always find a reason to put it off until the next day.

• Evaluate our priorities. I don’t know about you, but when I am crazy busy I often find that there are things I can eliminate. They are things that I have set up as important in my mind but, when I am honest, they can wait. It is important that I don’t make these priorities more important than my time with God.

• Be willing to deny self in order to do what’s right. This one can be hard. Back in 2020, when our church shut down, we realized we thoroughly enjoyed staying home on Sunday mornings and having a leisurely morning with an hour dedicated to listening to a sermon. This was far more comfortable and convenient than giving up a whole morning to go to Sunday School and Church. But to stay in that place would have been unhealthy and not what God would have wanted and so we knew we had to go back to church, although our flesh would have said to stay home. This is just one example of denying self to do what’s right. There are so many others, aren’t there? TV shows and novels draw us and we choose them over Bible reading. OCD tendencies can make some choose a pristine kitchen over Bible reading. There are so many ways we can and should deny self. But they are so very HARD to do. But with intention and the Holy Spirit, we can choose to do what is right over what we want when the two are not the same.

These are just three simple things that have helped me (and continue to help me) in those times when I feel stuck and like I am not growing. Perhaps they may be helpful to some of you? If you have other suggestions, please comment below. I’d love to hear how you “grow in the wall”!

May we bloom right where we are planted on this day. Regardless of how busy our schedules, how frustrating our circumstances, or how deep our trials. For God will always provide one small crack in which we can dig our roots.