resilience
1:the power or ability to return to the original form,
position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or
stretched
2: the ability to recover readily from illness,
depression, adversity, or the like
Pansies are resilient little flowers. They bloom better in cooler weather; heat
causes the bloom to get smaller, or disappear altogether. And the variety of
color combinations! They are a gardener’s dream flower.
But, did you know that pansies have a built-in “anti-freeze”? They can be cold,
laying flat on the ground, looking past dead. Then the sun warms them up,
and they stand up all perky again.
Well, that is how we need to be when the Enemy
causes a spiritual freeze to come upon us. We
might look like we have died out to the elements,
but when the Son comes up, and we warm up to
Him, we will find that we are as resilient as the
pansy.
After reading the pertinent information about the
pansy located to the right, in yellow, we
understand how the pansy operates during cold
weather. You see, we need to learn to “let the
moisture escape” when we feel Satan blowing a
cold draft our way. The Enemy will try to catch
us unaware, so that the spiritual coldness that
comes will cause us the rupture on the inside.
The cold can come by way of a hateful remark,
acting out of haste or anger, or any number of
other circumstances. Just remember, let the
moisture out, then lift your face to the Son. Just
like to pansies do.
Pansies protect themselves by
allowing moisture to escape
their leaves as temperatures
fall. Other plants cannot do
this, so when the temperature
goes below freezing the water
in their cells freezes and
ruptures the cell walls. That’s
what happens when you leave
a houseplant on the patio
during a freeze. Dry cells,
though, can’t rupture. They
just go limp. It is normal to see
pansy leaves completely wilted
at dawn but green and perky
by noon. That’s why it is
important to keep the soil in
pansy beds moist after a
freeze…. so their roots can rehydrate the leaves.
quote from WalterReeves.com
How resilient are you?
Click here to
take the quiz!
photo courtesy of BRF Klätterträdet via Flickr/License
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