God Waters You Like a Plant
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
I was reading Jim Collins’ book, What to Make of a Life. I was reading it to challenge my life choices and to see if Collins could help me challenge others’ faith lives. Instead of writing on life choices, I was struck by an odd statement he made. Collins asks the reader to begin “Watering Seeds Planted Earlier in Life.” I couldn’t get the phrase out of my head. Finally, I am giving in and thinking through the phrase in this devotion. As I write this paragraph, I have no idea where it will take us.
“Watering” is the act of giving life. In these hot summer days, if you fail to water your outdoor plants, they will die. God waters us in many ways. God provides physical sustenance and monetary resources for running water, food, etc. There are also supernatural forms of sustenance God provides. There is a reason why water is used in the act of our earliest sacramental form, baptism. Our Triune God waters us in baptism and continues to water us throughout our lives by guiding us through the Holy Spirit’s movement in our lives. As Presbyterians, we baptize in infancy, not to save the soul from damnation, but to use the sacred water to sustain the spiritual life of the person throughout their eternal life.
I appreciate the visual image of God planting us as “seeds earlier in life.” It reminded me of Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” There is great comfort in knowing that since God “planted” us through “forming” and “consecration,” God is likely to nurture us through our joys, sorrows, and mistakes of this world, until God carries us to our eternal home.
I believe Jim Collins’ phrase resonated with me because throughout my life, I’ve relied on God to nurture and guide me through my mistakes, along the narrow paths where I often felt insecure. Being watered by God reminds us that we are valued, loved, and not left to our own devices. If we are found worthy by God, then why in the world would we feel unworthy in any other area of life? God waters each one of us, nurturing us for the trials, tribulations, laughter, joy, and love that God has in store for us. God has a plan for us at each stage of life. Appreciate that God named you in baptism and will continue to water you, now and always!
