Nurturing Others to Blossom

Nurturing Others to Blossom

African violets have always reminded me of my grandmother. As a child, I remember her church giving them out every Mother’s Day and aside from that moment, I never saw them anywhere but in her house. I don’t think it occurred to me until I owned one that I only remember my grandmother having one African violet at a time.

There was probably a reason for that. It wasn’t long before my beloved plant was looking sick. I lamented that fact at work one day, so when friends blessed me with another one, I decided I should do a little research in order to keep this one alive.

Special Care Required

There is a lot more to their care then I imagined! Special soil. Preferred water temperature. You can’t get the leaves wet. Lots of sun but not direct sunlight. After years of carefully tending my struggling African Violet, I was thrilled to wake up one Sunday to discover two flowers had opened up for me and two more tiny buds had formed.

I snapped a picture, thinking I’d post it with some “insight” into the years of tender care it had taken to reach this point.

People Need Care Too

Thinking of my grandmother always makes me think of spiritual things. As I typed out thoughts on the years I’d poured into this plant for these two little flowers, I couldn’t help but think about the people around me. What was I pouring into them? Was I taking the same care with their needs as I had with this tiny plant? Did I make sure my actions were nurturing them to grow or was I treating them like all the others that might not require extra care?

It was a sobering thought and I never posted my picture. It seemed suddenly there was so much more to those tiny, purple flowers than just the attention I’d given that plant. My African violet is now my reminder of how I should be treating those around me. God has placed people in my life that require special care. I need to make sure I’m taking the time to give them what they need so they too can blossom.

Christ is Our Example

In Philippians 2:3 – 5, Paul tells us “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves, do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (NASB). Another sobering thought, isn’t it? But Christ set that example for us when He left heaven to be born as a helpless baby here on earth. He became subject to His own creation so He could understand each struggle and temptation we face.

Do you ever consider the struggles people around you are facing? Is that difficult person hiding behind a wall built to protect them from abuse? Are they suffering loss? Addiction? Depression? Until you get to know the people around you, you never know what they may be dealing with or what care they may need from you. Just like my plant needed extra attention to thrive, the same can be said for people, and not just the ones that are easy to get along with. What seems difficult at the time, my just produce the most beautiful results.

How Do You Nurture People?

Have you given thought to how to nurture the people in your life who need special care? What are you doing to help them blossom and grow?