Living in the Black Hills of South Dakota definitely has some nice perks, but raising flowers isn’t one of them. We are constantly trying to find ways to discourage deer from eating either the blooms or the entire plant. My husband has even gone so far as to buy little stuffed animals at the Salvation Army, spray them with gag-inducing deer repellent, and place them on stakes around the flowers. We’ve purchased only deer-resistant plants for the unfenced front yard, but we’ve learned that “deer-resistant” does not mean “deer-proof.”
We’ve been especially excited about the yellow-flowered echinacea Stan found at the greenhouse in a neighboring town. We enjoy less-common plants, and even though coneflowers are common, the yellow variety is not. Stan carefully prepared the soil, put up a barrier around the plant—just in case—and watered it throughout the summer drought. It didn’t grow much during this hot, dry summer, but we were looking forward to a fuller, more exuberant plant next summer.
One morning this week, Stan looked out the window and groaned. When he added a few syllables under his breath, I knew he was seeing something I wasn’t going to like. I peeked between the blinds and saw it immediately. There, hanging on the barrier surrounding the echinacea, was the plant itself—bottom up and head down.
By the looks of it, the immature root ball wasn’t much of a deterrent to the deer. I imagine the deer gave it a moderate tug, and out it came. The roots we establish in our own lives when we put our trust in Jesus are much hardier. Once we are planted in a relationship with our Lord and become deeply rooted, we can stand firm and remain unmoving, even through difficult times.
Colossians 2:7 promises that if we let our roots grow down into Him and let our lives be built on Him, our faith will grow strong in the truth we are taught, and we will overflow with thankfulness. (NLT) I am thankful that we can receive peace and contentment as our roots grow deeper and fuller in Jesus.
The tender root ball of our echinacea has found a new home in the fenced backyard. We will continue to hope that it survives away from its natural nemesis.
Until next time—keep on readin’, and I’ll keep on writin’.
