The other day as I was washing dishes at our kitchen sink, I glanced over at our small Tropical plant that I have on the counter and I had to rack my brain to remember when I had watered it last. I think it had been a week or so and I felt bad as I looked at it drooping and wilting over to its side. It looked so exhausted and tired! As I looked closer, I noticed how dry the soil was and how badly it needed water. This beautiful little plant was doing a great job at communicating its need for nourishment so that it could flourish like it is designed to do.
I poured a glass of water around the wilting, dying plant, and I stood back and watched. I could almost see the roots soaking up the water & restoring the nutrients so it could be filled with the energy to stand straight & strong.
As I think back over the years I lived in anorexia, I often felt like that dying plant as I lived with the restrictive rules that controlled my life. I was starving & didn’t see it. I limited my eating and I relentlessly pushed my body beyond human capability which only “drooped” me more into such a dark and empty place. I refused to give my body nourishment for living.
For many years, as I lived without properly filling my body with any type of sustaining nourishment, my body and my soul continued to wilt from the “lacks” in my life. Oh my goodness, I was so tired and yes, probably very droopy too! I couldn’t see that I needed food to bring my physical body back to life and that I needed God to moist up the dry soil in my soul that was weary & tired of living against how I was designed to be.
But, my relief was coming. In sheer frustration & agony, I cried out to our All Mighty God who answered my plea with His truth. He showed me how I was so hungry for many things that included His word & truth, a hunger for food, for rest and for freedom to be “me!” I really had no idea how many forms of “nourishment” my body, mind & soul required to bring me back to life again.
Just as I fed our plant what it needed, I began to feed myself with God’s word and the advice from my support. As I soaked in God and the truth, I went from wilting, to slowly being able to stand upright and strong.
Matthew 5:6 says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
As I continue to accept more & more of God and His truths, I am noticing that my physical hunger is perking up again and it’s a good hunger to have! God promises to satisfy our hunger and thirst in all ways. He truly is delivering so much nourishment to my life today as I continue to feed myself with the healing power of His word and His wonderful gift of food!
Our beautiful tropical plant has been teaching me that we all need nourishment to survive and to flourish like we are created too.
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