Quarantine Comeback

Can we just take a moment of silence to morn the loss of my beautiful plant? It was given to me as a gift when I moved into my new office. I would water it, take care of it, and make sure it had the sunlight it needed. I in no way would say I have a green thumb, but I was so proud that I was able to nurture and grow this special gift. Then, quarantine hit. Schools were dismissed, the stay home order was implemented, and I literally didn’t even go out for groceries until four months later. By the time I started going back to my office after five months of being away, my once beautiful plant had died. It hadn’t just wilted; it was crispy and long past the point of being revived.

I could have remained in denial about it, spent time watering it, and invested money in plant food. I could have let it remain on my window seal and serve as a constant reminder of all the death and destruction that came along with this season. Or, I could be grateful for the person who thought enough to give it to me, appreciate the time I got to enjoy it, and let it go so I can get a new one. Why? Because no matter how long I mourn the loss of my old plant, it’s never going to bring it back. And as long as the old plant remains, there is no room for a new plant to be introduced.

How many of you, like me and so many other believers, in 2019 kept hearing new things. It seemed like the scripture Isaiah 43:19 kept coming up over and over again, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”

So many of us want the ‘new thing,’ but pretty much none of us want any of the old things to die. We want God to start doing the new, but we don’t want to stop doing the old. We want the new thing to spring forth, but it’s the old thing that we continue to water. Then, when the new thing comes, we try to plant it right on top of the old thing and wonder why it doesn’t flourish.

The second half of Proverbs 11:28 says, “The righteous shall flourish like the green leaf.” Not like the brown leaf. Not like the dead leaf. Not like the crispy leaf. Like the green leaf. The green leaf is alive and vibrant! The green leaf is healthy and prospering. The green leaf is growing and multiplying.

Don’t get stuck trying to bring back that which is dead. Don’t waste time wishing things were back the way they once were. Allow God to do a new thing and get ready for your quarantine comeback!

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