For two or three years now, an elephant ear has grown at the southwest corner of the house. This year several shoots came up, and all of them bloomed. I never knew an elephant ear bloomed at all. Here is the amazing part—I never planted an elephant ear bulb.
I have had caladiums on the west side for many years now. They are always the last things up--in May--and the first things to die back—in August. Occasionally, probably due to the vagaries of a North Florida winter, they simply disappear. That means I go to the farm store and prowl among the bulb boxes to replace them. The boxes are clearly labeled, including full color pictures. That way, if I need to replace a red one, I can find it. If the pink one has gone the way of all things, I look for the pink picture. There is absolutely no way to make a mistake unless you are blind or just don't look at the boxes.
But here is the law of nature: I simply must have planted an elephant ear bulb. How did this happen without me knowing it? Probably a clerk put it in the wrong box. Those bulbs all look pretty much alike. If the wrong bulb is in the box and someone picks it up, she would never know until the plant came up in the spring. So in reality, I did plant an elephant ear, albeit accidentally.
The same thing happens every day of your life. You are planting seed and don't even know it. People watch you, especially people who know you claim to be a believer. You may accidentally plant an elephant ear instead of a caladium just because you weren't paying attention to the picture on the box. You didn't think it mattered when you lost your temper. You didn't think anyone would notice when you exacted a little retribution. You were blissfully unaware of the audience watching your performance with the waitress or the store clerk or someone else who gave you less than you thought your patronage deserved.
And worse than that, elephant ears bloom. They spread, just like mine, proliferating into more people who are also affected by your words and your behavior. You never know how far your influence will go from simple word of mouth or now, through the internet and the thousands who read one post from a person who had to deal with a Christian choosing to act like something else.
The good news is you can plant caladiums just as easily, and even accidentally. People notice good these days and it spreads like wildfire—or a virus, I suppose is the term. You are always planting something whether you know it or not. Make sure it's caladiums.
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. (1Tim 5:24-25)
Dene Ward
I have had caladiums on the west side for many years now. They are always the last things up--in May--and the first things to die back—in August. Occasionally, probably due to the vagaries of a North Florida winter, they simply disappear. That means I go to the farm store and prowl among the bulb boxes to replace them. The boxes are clearly labeled, including full color pictures. That way, if I need to replace a red one, I can find it. If the pink one has gone the way of all things, I look for the pink picture. There is absolutely no way to make a mistake unless you are blind or just don't look at the boxes.
But here is the law of nature: I simply must have planted an elephant ear bulb. How did this happen without me knowing it? Probably a clerk put it in the wrong box. Those bulbs all look pretty much alike. If the wrong bulb is in the box and someone picks it up, she would never know until the plant came up in the spring. So in reality, I did plant an elephant ear, albeit accidentally.
The same thing happens every day of your life. You are planting seed and don't even know it. People watch you, especially people who know you claim to be a believer. You may accidentally plant an elephant ear instead of a caladium just because you weren't paying attention to the picture on the box. You didn't think it mattered when you lost your temper. You didn't think anyone would notice when you exacted a little retribution. You were blissfully unaware of the audience watching your performance with the waitress or the store clerk or someone else who gave you less than you thought your patronage deserved.
And worse than that, elephant ears bloom. They spread, just like mine, proliferating into more people who are also affected by your words and your behavior. You never know how far your influence will go from simple word of mouth or now, through the internet and the thousands who read one post from a person who had to deal with a Christian choosing to act like something else.
The good news is you can plant caladiums just as easily, and even accidentally. People notice good these days and it spreads like wildfire—or a virus, I suppose is the term. You are always planting something whether you know it or not. Make sure it's caladiums.
The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. (1Tim 5:24-25)
Dene Ward
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