Around Christmas time my husband, Ross, purchased a poinsettia from the school where he teaches. This being a year that we spent Christmas at home, the house was all decked out for the holidays and the poinsettia was a nice added touch.
Fast forward two months--the poinsettia has about two flowers left on it, each of which has way fewer petals than it should. You can see its gangly stems because there are no full blooms left to cover them up. It is an eyesore displayed prominently on the fireplace.
I have plotted on numerous ocassions to "off" the plant. My plan was to put it in the garage and just let the cold cause its demise. However, Ross has been asking about it. "Has anyone watered that plant today?" he would say every couple of weeks. 'Ugh! He does notice it,' I would think. 'That means he would miss it if I got rid of it.'
Recently our youngest son celebrated his 6th birthday. We had a party at the house and everyone had a great time. The next day as I was sitting on the couch reading, I looked over and saw the hideous flower. 'Oh my goodness! We had company in the house and they saw it!' It hadn't even occurred to me in the midst of preparing the house and the food for the party to put the plant away. I wanted to keep it hidden. I wanted things to look nice.
The next week I saw one of the parents from the party. She thanked us for inviting them and told me how much they enjoyed themselves. This got me to thinking--I believe that people feel more comfortable when they see the imperfections of others. When I see a house that looks like a museum, I feel like I will get yelled at for sitting on the chairs. But when I see a house with a blanket lying on the couch, I feel like I can sit down and cuddle up on it. The same goes for people. Show me the side of you that hurts, hates, and has issues. It doesn't make me feel threatened. It lets me know that you are human. In 2 Corinthians 12:10 Pauls says, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
My weakness is a testimony of God's power. Please excuse me while I go water my poinsettia.
I enjoyed this post so much. Perhaps the very content of this post, I why I enjoy being in your presence. The depth and reality, vulnerability and transparency you possess is why I count you a good friend.
ReplyDeletep.s. Never once have I noticed your plant in the fireplace. Ha! I cannot wait to search it out next time i'm there.