By Megan Blansit
Founder of The Beautiful Movement - a youth ministry for high school girls. For more information, visit The Beautiful Movement’s Facebook page, where I post the time, place, and activity for each month
When I think of an orchid, I think of a beautiful, simply poised flower. However, when I did some research on how to properly take care of an orchid, it is far from simple! Unlike other potted plants, you cannot just do a daily watering routine and leave the orchid in a window. The orchid is far more complicated. Orchids do not do well with being watered daily, but do best if watered every 5-12 days, DEPENDING on the time of year and how much heat the plant is getting. Another tip I read was to water your orchid with a spray bottle or place ice cubes in the pot, BUT be sure not to get the leaves to wet! If the leaves get too wet it can damage them. Also, an orchid cannot flourish in direct sunlight, in a large amount of heat, and cannot handle frequent, cold breezes. For example, the leaves can burn if the plant receives too much sunlight; experts suggest moving the plant around in a room during the day to avoid direct light. Can I just stop for a minute and point out the obvious- an orchid is extremely complicated! This stresses me out thinking of trying to tend to one. I don't even tend to my dog this much!
I don’t know about you, but I don't want to be an orchid; I don't want to be a complicated person. Judging from the outside, sure I would want to be a beautiful orchid; however, I don't want to be that person who is super sensitive, difficult to understand and controlled by emotions. I want to be like an oak tree! Oak trees are strong and can withstand anything (lots of heat, water, etc). Lets check out Jeremiah 17: 7-8, “ But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” When life gets heated (aka tough) are you like an orchid or an oak tree? Do you wither and want to crawl in a hole, having a pitty party? Or do you remind yourself who you are (as a Christian) and know that you can conquer anything that comes your way with Christ?
Think about how big and strong an oak tree is, and now picture an orchid. An orchid compared to an oak tree seems quite fragile, right? Hard winds are going to come, rain will pour down, but I challenge you not to become so emotional that you act as if you have no root system. When storms come are you still standing?
How do we have a strong root system? This comes by spending time with the Lord, digging into His Word, surrounding ourselves with other believers who will encourage our walk with Him, etc. Ironically, roots of an oak tree can also be destructive. Their roots can probe underground pipes, damage foundations, and so on. Lets relate this to our lives- Is it possible that we could be so rooted in Christ that we can destroy and overcome any doubt, insecurities, etc? Absolutely!
Life is going to be crazy, but friend, you can make it! The Lord has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). Lets also look at 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”…Your environment may look bad, but God is still good! Notice the word “faith” … “Walk by FAITH.” For example, if you battle fear, you have to face your fear, and have faith that God is with you all the way. By pressing in, these small steps will make you strong like the oak tree. Can you handle the heat?
