Doing All Things Well (By Sharron M.: Senior Blogger)

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might…

-Ecclesiastes 9:10

    Chlorophytum comosum.  Most commonly known as the spider plant, it is an amazing species of the plant kingdom.  They can grow to enormous sizes, so long as they are watered properly and they are exposed to plenty of sunlight.  Spider plants hate the darkness and will die or at least be stunted in growth if they do not receive plenty of time in the sun.

     My mom loves having plants in the house.  She declares that having live indoor plants are healthy for the inhabitants of our home.  Household plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, released water vapors into the air, and also will act as an air filter.  Because my mom is also very busy, she likes a plant that doesn’t have to be coddled.  Which made the spider plant, an ideal plant to have in the house.

    We had this particular plant, which was supposed to be a hardy species, but for some reason or another it refused to grow.  In fact, it was getting rather pathetic looking.  It was a pale, sickly green with thin leaves and a dwarfed size.  My mom watered it but to no avail, the place where it resided did not have the sunlight it needed.  She tried various other places in the house but the little plant still struggled.

    Finally, she approached my brother’s room.  He must have been working on his computer or some such thing, but she entered his room with the small plant in her hands.  She asked him if he would like a plant for his room and my brother’s eyes sort of squinted as his eyes went to pathetic puny, little plant.

    I'll describe my brother and his room a little bit.  My brother’s room, at that time, was actually void of plants.  Not so much as one green blade.  He liked things that didn’t require a lot of attention.

     Anyway, he continued to scrutinize the plant.  Finally he asked, “What do I have to do to it?”  His voice echoed his disdain for the wilted piece of vegetation that was being presented to him.  No doubt, he thought it wouldn't be very long before the plant kicked the bucket and went into the big compost bucket in the field.

    My mom just said that she would put it on his dresser that was by a large window and that it would be fine if he could give it a little bit of water from time to time.  So, the spider plant became a guest in Micaiah’s room.  It didn’t take up much room and was certainly nothing to notice.  This was it's last chance; there was no other place for it, so if it died then it certainly wasn't any fault of ours (We had changed/enriched the soil, gave it water, sunlight, etc.).

     One day, I passed his room and noticed him turning the plant a little bit.  Rotating it, so that each side got some sun.  My brother surprised us all by carefully nurturing the plant that had been given to his care.  The plant sat in the front corner of his dresser (it looked rather odd, but it did receive plenty of sunlight).  The spider plant began to grow.  At first it certainly wasn’t noticeable, but then it needed to be replanted in a larger a pot. I found this out, when I saw my brother lugging in a giant bag of potting soil to the kitchen.

     Micaiah must have had some confidence that the plant was going to grow, because the next pot it was transferred into was rather big, and the plant looked awfully small inside it.  He was rather excited when it put forth a small bud and a tiny white flower bloomed.  When the spider plant is happy in its environment it will began to grow and produce flowers which will eventually become baby plants.  He's had countless of baby plants, which he carefully replants into more contains.  His room has since been transformed into a miniature jungle.  It is still growing and takes up a good portion of his dresser with its long, thick green leaves.

    It reminded me a lot of how we start out as Christians.  Sometimes, our environment isn’t actually wholesome, so we struggle and remain weak and fragile.  But when we are in the right environment we are strengthened.  God is the Gardener, and He carefully nurturers us so that we may reach maturity.  It is so important that we have the right kind of atmosphere and environment around us so that we may become mature and produce fruit.

    It also taught me, that it only takes one person to make a difference.  My brother “encouraged” the plant by giving it water and putting it in a place that the sun could reach it.  Sometimes, our brother or sister might need a word of encouragement.  Environment can make a difference, so can a person.  Especially a person who surrenders to the will of God.