Plants

Last week, I decided to choose ten of the strongest and tallest sunflowers from what I planted. There was an empty plot where the attacked Zinnia seedlings used to be so I put them there. This location happens to be free from the shade of the humongous tree that pretty much covers most of the backyard. They have been droopy for a couple of days but they seem to look normal now (as shown above). I spaced them pretty close since I actually prefer smaller sunflower heads. My family went to a sunflower farm last year and though it was beautiful to see acres of yellow smiley flowers, some of the sunflower heads were too huge and deformed. I’m pretty content with the smaller sunflower heads I have been growing since 2017.

Today was the day of culling for the rest of them. I planted a lot of seeds but several have already been attacked by slugs and other creatures. I spent a few hours transplanting my sunflowers today (about 60 of them) and I may have damaged the root system on a few. I had a super droopy dead-looking sunflower last year but within a couple of weeks, it actually got revived. Although it didn’t die, it was completely stunted. It was something to witness the miracle of life, a plant resurrection of some sort.

I have not kept track on how many posts I have written on plants but plant metaphors never get old and every time I tend to them, it reminds me of biblical principles. Jesus used plants for illustration like the fig tree (Luke 21:29:31), the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30), the tree and its fruit (Matthew 7:15-20) to mention and I can see why. For instance 2 Peter 3:9,

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

I never planned to discard the badly chewed up and attacked sunflower plants with only the stems remaining. I did not want to have to pull them up by the roots because my desire was to see it grow and bloom. The LORD feels the same about people. He is not willing that any should perish and desires that all will choose to accept the gift of eternal life.

Speaking of plants being pulled up by the roots, another interesting metaphor is found in Jude 1:12 about apostates, “late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.” They are twice dead because though they are physically alive, they are spiritually dead. When they die physically, since their names are not written in the Book of Life, they are destined to a second death, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14-15)

That’s why it is important that people consider Jesus’ gift of eternal life. In this way, once you are clothed in Jesus’ righteousness by accepting His atoning sacrifice on your behalf, you only die once and if you happen to be alive during the rapture, you won’t have to experience dying at all! How awesome is that!

As for the droopy and hopeless looking plant, I will continue to tend to it hoping that it will bounce back. Hopefully, the slugs and other creatures won’t attack it during its most vulnerable state.