“Support one another. Keep building each other up as you have been doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 VOICE)
I grow mostly herbs, fruits, and vegetables in my garden. I tend to be a rational gardener. Take, for example, a tomato plant. If I water it daily, weed around it, and fertilize it--I am rewarded with delicious tomatoes. The functional flowers of a tomato plant are a precursor to the fruit. Humans need food. Growing food makes sense.
Unlike tomatoes, there are many flowering plants that are grown solely for their beauty. You can’t eat them. They are not ‘useful’ like fruits and vegetables. However, I have planted gladioli, irises, lilies, and coxcombs all around the periphery of my home. Each of these flowers blooms in different seasons. They all bring me great joy. I didn’t plant them just for my enjoyment, but for all those who come near them.
Nurturing a friendship is a lot like taking care of a flowering plant. When you love a friend, you want them to grow and bloom. You are not planning to consume or use them in any way. You water, fertilize, and weed around them. You support them and encourage them continually. You rejoice when they blossom. You hope others notice and appreciate them too. You want nothing more than for them to reveal their true beauty to the world.
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