Every time I think I’ve learned my orchid lessons, one more seems to pop up.
My birthday was a month ago and one of my friends gave me both a beautiful floral arrangement and a gorgeous orchid. She explained that she had seen both and couldn’t decide between the two, so she ended up getting both. She had made my heart feel so filled with love, especially on a day that I had already felt so celebrated by my dear friends.
A few days ago, almost exactly a month past my birthday, I happened to take a close look at the orchid. It still had a ton of flowers open, and only two had started wilting. Upon closer inspection, I noticed it was covered in a white substance. While I’ve never encountered this situation, I knew it wasn’t good.
I pulled out my AI (updated Google bestie) and started asking questions. It suggested I take a picture if I wanted a more definitive answer. I did. It came back explaining the issue, and the potential treatment options. I opted for alcohol and a q tip swab. It also explained that if I was not careful, the issue could spread to other orchids nearby – I have three more.
I got to work, but quickly realized how much stuff was coming out of it, and I had only started with one. After realizing how invasive whatever was going on was, I decided to make a very hard decision.
It order to preserve the life of this orchid and my other three, I had to cut off all the remaining flowers. While they were still beautiful, I could clearly see that they were diseased and could infect the others around it. I did the very hard thing, and continued to clean off whatever white stuff from the base of the plant.
As I thought of my very hard decision, I realized this was no different that what God does in our lives. Sometimes He sees something that is diseased and not just impacting one thing, but has the potential to infect everything around it, and makes the hard decision to cut it off. Not to cause harm, but to preserve life, and allow new growth in the next season.
Isaiah 55:9 states: As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
I can tell you, the decision was a hard one, but, I know I have now given all four of my orchids to thrive in due time.
What has the Lord seen fit to cut out of your life, that while it hurt, you can look back and see that it was because of His great love why it had to happen that way?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these lessons through nature. We know no experience is ever wasted in your economy. Please be with those who are grieving something that you have cut off and show them that you were preserving much more than the thing they have lost.