I come from a family of gardeners, plant enthusiasts and even a professor of botany. I was, for years, however, notorious for being a black thumb and could only keep plants alive until the peak of the summer. They would then wither away and join the plant graveyard in my compost of doom. And so, a few years ago, I went to my local Calloway’s and asked about the most drought-resistant and freeze-hardy plants they had to offer. Other than several cactus varieties, my best bet was to be the Texas Sage.
Yesterday, I noticed that my now five-year-old Texas Sage was starting to bud and bloom in abundance. The thing about Texas Sage is that before a rainstorm comes, the plant will bud and bloom. And my Sage had so many blooms on it that the branches were weighed down, dipping and swaying in the hot Texas breeze. “Odd,” I thought, as I knew that the forecast showed the next week of 100-degree temps and no rain chances. But I shrugged and assumed that the plant was excitedly anticipating my daily watering. It must just be a fluke.
I was awoken in the wee hours of the morning to rolls, thunder, and flashes of lightning. We were getting a strong summer storm. I smiled as I rolled over, realizing that the Texas Sage had been right after all. Despite all the odds—the low chances of rain in August, the two previous years of drought, and the bone-dry forecast that all those fancy weather models predicted—rain had come.
As I sit in my favorite armchair, golden rays illuminating our dim family room, the promise of coffee in the air, I sit in awe of the vibrantly lilac Texas Sage gleaming and glistening in the early morning sunlight. I can’t help but think of this hardy little plant in wonder. The sheer audacity of this plant! This Texas Sage bloomed in joyful anticipation of what was to come. It did not hesitate based on the temperature outside, nor even based on the climate history of the previous two years. It bloomed in joyful anticipation of the relief that would surely come in the night.
“Lord,” I prayed, “make me like this plant that blooms with joyful anticipation of your promises, who is not influenced by the world but completely trusts your timing and faithfulness, who sees reality with heavenly anticipation.”
What is the glory of the Texas Sage? Its purple blossoms. And that purple flower is a visual metaphor for the fruit of faith. It believed what was promised and so prepared itself for what was to come. To expand the metaphor to us, faith is the glory of the saints. It bursts forth in joyful and confident anticipation of God, our great redeemer and provider.
The second part of this living metaphor to consider was the storm itself, which rolled in at three am. As my children will tell you, storms are scary things. So it is for the storms of life. We fear and dread the storms of life that inevitably come our way. However, when you’re rooted, storms transform into a wild, wonderous source of provision. It’s the kind of provision where God’s power and might are on display. Depending on the geography in which you have been planted (for example, Texas), storms just may be your primary source of provisionary watering.
The world dreads the storms of life, but we are not of the world. We, brothers and sisters, are rooted in Christ Jesus. So maybe it’s time for a change in perspective. How glorious would it be for God’s people to celebrate the storms of life because that is where God’s power, might, and provision are mingled! And the thing is, if your roots in the Lord are deep, then there is no fear. It may be a wild ride of intense experiences, but the provision and outcome are assured. And often, as in the case of Texas rain storms, the rain (provision) is more profuse than the average spring shower.
In John 15, Jesus tells his disciples, “Abide in me.” The word abide here means to tarry, stick around, linger, or dwell. It connotes desire and steadfastness. We are invited to sink our roots down deep into Christ. And when we do so, the fury of the storm will no longer fill you with dismay or dread but with wonder and awe.
The Texas Sage has shown us so clearly what it looks like to flourish in Christ. Regardless of what the world says or what storms come your way, Jesus provides and keeps his promises to provide. We can confidently trust God and prepare our hearts for his provision, regardless of how he provides. He might pour provision out in the fury of a storm, or he might gently sprinkle provision in an easier season.
Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:27-33 not to be like the world, worried and anxious about the necessary provisions of life. The world seeks and strives after things, but we are invited to trust and wait for God to provide splendidly. God knows what we need, and we know Christ’s character. We can trust his good and timely provision.
Your glory, dear friend, isn’t what you have or how you look, or what power you wield, or what thing you can create. Your glory, oh Christian, is your faith, your absolute trust and confidence in Jesus. When we choose to trust Jesus’ character rather than listen to and operate like the world, Christ-rooted faith blooms and adorns us in godly glory, a kind that is unfading and does not tarnish.
It is time we live like the Texas Sage- audaciously confident and joyful in Christ.
Written by Sara Danielle Hill
Sara is a nurse, writer and founder of Undercurrents Ministries. For more more information about Sara Hill and her writing, head over to saradaniellehill.com
