Christmas tree o Christmas tree

"Yes!! I would love to!" was my response when my friend asked me to tree sit for her while she was out of town. I was excited for a mini staycation at her place but then the thoughts started racing through my mind. It was a real Christmas tree, it just needed water, how hard can that be, right?

I left out the fact that my succulent is no longer with us. (lolololol) Oh man, I don't have a green thumb in the slightest form. What if I kill it? What if I don't water it enough? How much water is enough? Does it need cold water or room temperature water? How many times a day does it need water? What if it catches fire and the apartment is damaged? I would feel so bad. I would go and buy every single Christmas tree on the lot and put them in her apartment, she would have her own forest. I could NOT bear the thought of any like that happening. I refused to let anything like that happen. Not on my watch. I was determined to be the best tree sitter she ever had.

The days went past and I showed up. I watered the tree to the very top every single day. I let the lights shine. I unplugged the lights when I was finished relishing its beauty. I picked up the fallen needles from the carpet. Maybe I was capable of growing a plant after all. Maybe I should have a garden? (let me not get ahead of myself)

Once she returned home, she let me know that my watering duty was complete. I wanted to ask how it looked but I didn't want to make it seem like something was wrong with it or it had been neglected in any way. After all, it looked the exact same way as she left it. "How does it look?" "uhhh.... still green?" Nope, not going to ask. I knew it was still standing tall and lively. She must've known what I was thinking because within minutes she sent me another text. Her husband checked the water level and said "Wow, there's a lot of water in the tree!" She replied: "Kristen was NOT going to let that thing die!" I smiled as I read it because I was so proud. She was absolutely right. I was not going to let anything happen to it. I read it again and then I heard a small whisper, "what if you were like that with the things of God? (insert mic drop here)

What if we were like that with OUR gifts? What if we were like that with His promises to us? What about with our purposes?

WHY ARE WE NOT LIKE THAT WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD?

We should be protecting those things that he entrusts to us. Entrust means to invest with a trust or responsibility. He is TRUSTING us with those things. Just like she trusted me with her 7.5 ft Fraser Fir. We should be watering those gifts, purposes, and assignments. Loving them, learning about them and helping them flourish. We should be keeping them alive, not putting them off and letting them die. He places a fire within us and we need to keep it going and not let it go out. Most importantly, we need to show up. We need to invest. Every day, He shows up for us. Even on the days when we fail to show up, He faithfully does. It may have just been an adventure with tree sitting, but it opened my eyes to so much more. I pray we all begin to treat the things of God, especially our relationship with God, with the same reverence. I pray we show up and give them our all, just like God gives us His.