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Following God For the Family

Dead-Heading {Lessons From My Flower Bed}

ftf.dead.heading

I do not have a green thumb. Whatever color is directly opposite of green on the color wheel is the hue of thumb I possess. I can murder a house plant faster than you can say “terracotta pot.”

My mother-in-love is famous for her ability to grow the most beautiful things — tender and fragrant herbs that flavor her roasted potatoes or her lavender shortbread cookies; bright blooming annuals that display their splendor from May to September; flowering perennials that return year after year poking their heads through the blackened earth revealing vibrant blossoms. She even staggers her plantings according to when they bloom in our Michigan climate to ensure that there will always be an array of color from the first hint of spring until fall.

I, too, although admittedly not possessing her knack for nature, like to grow flowers and have tried my hand at an outdoor herb garden. However, it doesn’t come naturally for me. I’ve had to read and study.

And I have to schedule the required steps in my life just like an appointment: “Water herbs and flowers Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Feed plants with Miracle Grow on the first and fifteenth.”

But the most important task of growing these plants was the first lesson she taught me.

It’s called dead-heading.

Here is how it is done: As soon as any of those beautiful blooms begin to wither, fade, and turn brown, they need to be ruthlessly removed.

I search out every one and carefully pluck it off of its stem. It is a tedious, never-ending task. Just when I think I have removed every dried up blossom, the next day a dozen more appear.

It is important, however, to keep consistent.

When dead blooms are left clinging to the flowering plants, they sap the nutrition and strength from the core of the plant. They literally rob the flower of the energy they could be using to grow new and colorful blooms.

The faded petals are, in a sense, dead weight that keep the plant from being its best. If properly plucked, however, the plant will bloom forth gorgeous petals throughout the entire life of the plant.

While plucking dead flower heads this morning on my own patio, I couldn’t help but relate this chore to my life with God.

I know full well that there are places of my heart, thoughts of my mind, and actions of my will that are nothing but dead weight to my spiritual life. In the Bible, James 1:21 beckons us to this:

So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

What does this mean?

Root out the ugly that threatens to choke and drain, and instead plant God’s word deep in our hearts. It can save us from wrong choices, unhealthy family relationships and self-inflicted heartbreak.

How about you? Could your heart use a good dead-heading session? Are there faded blooms you have been carrying around that are sapping your spiritual energy and strength, causing heartache and tears?

Get rid of the bad.

Plant God’s good Word in that spot instead.

Then stand back – patiently now – and watch beautiful blooms begin to appear.

Blessings,

Karen

 

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About Karen Ehman

Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, and writer for Encouragement for Today an online devotional that reaches over 4 million women daily. She has authored 11 books including KEEP IT SHUT: What to Say, How to Say It and When to Say Nothing at All. Her newest book and DVD Bible study, Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World, is full of ideas for scattering kindness to family, friends, strangers, and the "necessary people" who help you get life done each week. Karen has been a guest on national media outlets including The 700 Club, FamilyLife with Dennis Rainey, Moody Midday Connection, and Focus on the Family. She is also a contributor to Foxnews.com, Crosswalk.com, Redbookmag.com, and LifeBeautiful.com. She has been married for over a quarter-century to her college sweetheart Todd and is the mom of three children ranging from teen to adult. She resides in central Michigan where she enjoys cheering for the Detroit Tigers and processing life with the many people who gather around her kitchen island. You can connect with her at www.karenehman.com where she helps women to live their priorities and love their lives.

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