On vacation this fall, I ran in the mornings to get a little headspace and because it’s my favorite way to see new places. Sitting amongst the rocks, the old walls by the sea were cracking, and upon first glance, it looked like rubble. I sat for a while thinking about how God’s presence felt like the sea air hitting my skin. When I turned around to leave, I noticed succulents growing naturally between some of the cracks that I had walked over before without noticing.
It made me think of how at times our circumstances may feel like they are crumbling around us, like we can’t put them back together and if left alone, they will continue to decay. But sometimes even in those circumstances, we are called to stay…maybe because for a while we really are stuck, or it’s a time that we have to wait to pass, or life may seemingly give us few options.
The succulents reminded me that God can grow us anywhere. Just because the conditions are not perfect doesn’t mean that for this time, it isn’t exactly where God wants us. He can refresh our souls and lead us towards growth anywhere.
The succulents were more beautiful than any that I had seen elsewhere because they were fighting to grow. Sometimes the most beautiful growth happens when we feel a bit squeezed. As I looked further, some succulents were well developed…they seemed to have made their home amongst the rocks and were beginning to thrive. They had fought and won.
In the struggle, our roots grow deeper…so if you find yourself in a time where the best you can do is survive, keep your eyes on your God, dig in your heels and keep growing. It brings our God glory that we may be found to be beauty amongst the crumbling rocks. I long for us to display the glory of our Creator wherever we are growing.
