Growth.

Jan. 5, 2024

Two mornings ago, I was sitting in a chair near this tree/plant of mine .

I looked up and noticed not one, but three very clear signs of growth in my tree. In the first picture, there is a little straw star hanging there. I hung it up the weekend after Thanksgiving, just a little over a month ago. When I did, it was at the end of the branch. Now, the branch has skyrocketed inches and leaves. The other main branches also show new sprouts and leaves.

“Wow!” I thought. “What is going on—all this growth in just one month when there’s hardly been any sunlight, and it’s winter?

Then I remembered two months ago I repotted this tree. It had been in the same pot for I think 8 years. It had been yellowing and browning around the leaves, so I thought maybe it was time to give it a new container. Wow, was it root-bound. I had to pry it out with a spatula, ripping some roots in the process. I knew I had to break up the other roots to spread them out or they would stay fixed as they were before—too long confined into a too-small shape. I gave them plenty of room and new dirt to breathe and stretch. It wasn’t sturdy enough having just been uprooted. I had to support it by tying it to the window so it wouldn’t tip over.

That was two months ago. Now the roots have dug in. The tree feels sturdier. The branches have started to grow.

Sometimes we may get stagnant where we are. We get too comfortable staying in the same spot. It can be painful to have God bring us to new places. It can hurt, and not feel safe at first, and throw us off balance. We can wonder why it’s all happening.

Then given time, our roots take hold. We are nourished with new things. We find space to grow and breathe, and we show new growth and begin to spread out.

Thank you God for taking me out of my comfort zone and growing me even when sometimes I’d rather stay put.