Indoor pot plants are all the rage these days – and for good reason. They are green and leafy, fresh and vibrant, purifying the air and bringing a touch of earthiness to the concrete walls that make up our office spaces. I love a good plant collection, and over the last year have steadily built up a collection of potted greenery.
But I have a problem. Most of the plants I’ve bought looked their very best the day I picked them off the shelf of the nursery, took them for a ride in my car and placed them in a lovingly prepared new space in my home. They looked lush and healthy, thick with leaves and dripping with life. But the trick to pot plants is somehow keeping them alive!
Giving attentive care
Most people face the issue of under watering their plants – and I have certainly been guilty of this! But I’ve also found that the reverse is just as damaging and have multiple plants filing complaints against me for the swamp like living conditions their root systems suffer through. Plants really are quite pernickety!
But there is one plant that has done really well – it lives right next to my computer monitor and so I see it every day. I’m very attentive to it and have followed the care instructions that came with it by the letter. Recently it sprouted a new stalk and grew a number of leaves – I was very proud!
I think the main reason this plant has done so well can be squarely placed on its location. Being so visible it easily sets my mind to attending to its needs.
Set your mind on things above
Which leads me to an important verse:
Colossians chapter 3 verse 2 – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
When the mind is set on things above – on heavenly purposes and eternal values, the thoughts and actions of the day follow suit, leading to a healthy and lively Christian life. But when the mind is scattered and dispersed on all the worldly clutter that invades our lives it is easy for things to start going amiss.
Plants need attentive care, the right amount of water, sunlight and shade. Too much or too little of these things and the branches begin to wilt, the colours to fade. My spiritual life is of infinite more importance and requires my concentration and effort. But without a constant reminder to focus it is so easy for the mind to slip onto matters of far less worth.
So, my challenge for myself is to set about finding ways to remind myself to set my mind on things above – higher things, good things, heavenly things. By simply being in the right location my pot plant has thrived, and I think that a simple reminder to focus on higher things will pay big dividends.