Tangible Expressions of Grace

Looking at this picture, you may not think it's anything particularly special. In fact, you've probably seen much better photographs or more beautiful orchids.

This orchid, however, is special.

About a year ago, I bought the orchid when I wanted some flowers to brighten my living room. As I anxiously waited for the buds to open, I was faithful in keeping up with the simple instructions for the orchid's care: three ice cubes a week. Over time, the buds flowered and I got to enjoy beautiful orchids.

The flowers lasted a while, but as time passed, they eventually fell off, and the plant was nothing more than two green shoots. As you can well imagine, there is little incentive to continue caring for a green shoot (the second one withered over time), and I stopped the weekly three ice cube regimen. Throughout the fall, my roommate and I had numerous discussions about throwing out the dead plant, but given our crazy schedules, it never quite made it into the garbage before we left on Christmas vacation.

Since you can see the picture above, you know the end of the story... I came back from vacation to be greeted by three tiny little orchid buds.

Tonight I was having a unique struggle with God. I can hardly complain about what I'm about to divulge: I've never known a time where I didn't know about God's love and grace. This is an absolutely incredible blessing, and the struggle that I face is that it doesn't always seem real and tangible to me. Jesus LOVES me... Yes, I know, I sang the song in Sunday School. Tonight, however, I wanted to know God's love. I wanted to experience it in a new way. As I read through Romans 5 ("while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"), it felt like words on a page that I've read a thousand times before. So I prayed that God would open up my understanding of His grace in a new way.

So he pointed my gaze to the orchid. That orchid was basically left for dead. It had no nourishment, no care, and had lost all of its flowers. I did nothing to help that orchid produce beautiful flowers.

But God took that orchid and created life out of it, beautiful new life. And that's what his grace means in my life. As much as I'd like to think I *try* to be a good, nice, "moral" person, I know deep down that my sinful nature runs deep. I have done nothing to deserve God's goodness in my life.

But that doesn't matter. He's going to create something beautiful in me anyway.