Most people enjoy having live plants and flowers in and around their home. Most enjoy the sight of a beautiful landscape filled with trees and green grass. There are those blessed with the gift to grow and maintain beautiful green plants and flowers, and then there are those who, although they enjoy plants, cannot keep one alive long enough to enjoy it! I, myself, am one of the latter. There is one plant in my home, and I truly believe that it has simply resigned itself to living under my very black thumb! I love having plants and fresh flowers in my home, but for some reason they never seem to thrive under my care. Recently, I was searching the internet for tips on proper plant care, when I came across an advertisement for an application that you can download onto your smartphone which allows you to take a picture of your plant and the application can identify the type of plant you have and the care it needs. Whether it be water, sunlight, or vitamins that my plant needs, technology can now aid me in growing healthy plants!

Plants, however, are living creations and as such will eventually wither and fade. No amount of technology can stop that. Even the technology itself will change, but the Bible assures us that one thing will never wither and fade; one thing will stand forever and that is the Word of our God. Just like an app can tell me how to care for my plant, God's Word can instruct me on how to nurture my spiritual health and thrive under the care of my loving Creator. By spending time in God's Word, I can soak up His love and therefore reflect His beauty through my words and deeds. The Word of God was left to us as a sort of instruction manual and when we are feeling dry and withered, we can open the Bible and water our thirsty soul with the blessings and promises found within the pages of God's Word. When we are feeling wilted, we can lift our voice to the Son in prayer and allow His light to shine upon us. As a part of God's beautiful Creation, we, too, need to be nurtured and pruned. Allow the Creator to clip and water as He sees fit, so that we might grow into spiritually healthy beings, pruned for the Kingdom of God.

Suggested Prayer: Dear God, our Almighty Creator, nurture my soul and fill me with your love so that I might thrive when I read your Word and shine when I spend time in prayer with you. Let others see your handiwork in me. Allow me to reflect your glory and beauty to all I meet. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

1. Isaiah 40:8.

Today's Encounter was written by: Veronica B.