Lessons from a Chocolate Peppermint Plant

Is Your Spiritual Life Filled With Bugs?

I brought a chocolate peppermint plant a few weeks ago. It looked strong and healthy. Suddenly Thrips(a tiny bug) attacked the plant. Thrips are deceiving because you can’t see them right away. They blend in with the color of the plant.

They remind me of the spiritual life. Sometimes sin appears small. If not treated properly, it takes over and destroys us spiritually. Confession is very important! After we confess our sins to the priest, God removes the sin from our lives. He picks off the spiritual bugs that are bugging us.

When a chocolate peppermint plant is dry, it wilts. The stems flop down to the bottom of the pot. They are thirsty. When someone waters the plant, the wilted stems stand up straight.

I’m learning quite a bit about how to take care of a chocolate peppermint plant.  I have been researching the internet for tips and tricks on how to deal with bugs, etc. Using this information in the garden helps my chocolate peppermint plants and other plants to survive.

Another illustration that comes to my mind is the hot weather. When the heat of the day beats down on the plants, they wither. The soil dries up. These past few days the weather in my area has been humid. The chocolate peppermint plant is thirsty. It’s panting for water.

God the Gardener

Sometimes God uses plants and flowers to remind us of our spiritual lives.

God is our spiritual gardener. When he waters us, it’s like a whole bunch of graces showering on our spiritual leaves. Sometimes when I take care of my plant, I think about how God takes care of my soul. I like to think of myself as a plant in God’s spiritual garden. There are some days when I’m feeling droopy and my spiritual leaves are out of sorts. I turn to the Lord, asking him to help. Little by little, God comforts me. He pours living water into my soul.

Psalms for the Gardeners

There are a couple of verses from the book of Psalms that come to my mind, while I’m writing this article.

“He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers.” -Psalm 1:2 

“As the deer longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. “-Psalm 42:1-2

In these verses, King David focused on the spiritual life. He talked about the soul longing for God’s word. Don’t forget about this imagery while you water your own plants this summer!

Copyright Angela Lano 2022