The Struggle & Perceived Promise of the Christmas Cactus
November 8, 2024 - When we started the cafe 13 years a friend, Frances Hayes Anders, gave us a Christmas Cactus. Up until C-19, I was quite pleased with myself because I had not killed it. It was growing and blooming and I had already transplanted it about 4 times. Since that last transplanting a few years ago, I have been in a life and death struggle trying to keep it alive. I tried exposing it to more light, then less light. I thought that I was overwatering and then purchased one of those moisture meters. Eventually, my decor team got involved. They told me what I didn't want to hear and that was that my long time "friend" had lost it's prominence at the cafe and that I needed to take it home because it was just plain pitiful. lol
I brought my "friend" home and put it on the shelf in my laundry room. It has not bloomed in over 4 years no matter what I tried to do. Every time I looked at it, it just made me sad. I was continually picking up dead leaves where they would sadly fall to the floor. I think it had basically given up on itself as well. lol Not long ago, I contemplated just throwing my "friend" out the door and being done. (Pause. We'll get back to this story in a bit)
This past spring, I decided to revamp the front of the cafe and called in our decor team to help me. I had a picture of what I had in mind and they suggested real plants to use in the front windows. I put out the call for plants that would be hard for me to even kill. Among all the plants that came in, guess what was donated by another friend Carami Duncan Davis.......4 of them to be exact?? You guessed it! Christmas Cacti. I didn't tell Carami of my struggles with this particular plant and just decided to go with them. Almost right off the bat our team had to repot them and I thought that the plants would not do any better than my long time friend which I was getting ready to toss. At least I had not gotten so attached and spent so much with them. They would be much easier to part with. I put all these plants in the front window and once again they started looking as pathetic as the one my decor team had lovingly banished from the cafe. Then we started decorating for Christmas and they had me move these plants out of the window to other places in the cafe. At least they weren't banished this time.
(UN-PAUSE) Something amazing began to happen. When we moved the newer, smaller cacti I noticed that they had all started to perk up and bud. Then I noticed one day while doing the laundry at home, I looked over at my old friend, the plant that had seemingly kept hanging on through multiple re-pottings, over watering, light issues etc......IT WAS BLOOMING ONCE AGAIN. After 5 years of struggle to stay alive, it was blooming again! WOW!
Why was this, of all years so important to me today?? I shared with Steve this morning that I truly believe that God had sent me a promise through these plants that only I would understand. The last 5 years has been a very tough season not only for the cafe but for both Steve and I personally. We have had to lay on the altar of God and let Him strip away EVERYTHING in our lives that was not pleasing to Him. In the last 5 years we have done much growing in our relationship with each other and with God Himself. There were times that we even thought that the ministry of Cafe Connections was coming to a close. However, God told us to keep going and not to give up. He is not done with this ministry, nor us. The miraculous blooming of my long time friend especially, was an indicator that new life and new growth was on the horizon.
Many have asked us about where the cafe is going to go OR will we be closing our doors after 13 years after our lease ends at the end of the year. To me especially, the blooms of my old friend were a prophetic sign that the ministry and that Steve and I are entering into a new season of expanded growth both personally, spiritually and as a ministry. God has already sent us help. He is starting to replace resources that were lost. God is already bringing new life from what appeared to be dead, but was just in a dormant season.
What about you? Could you be in a dormant season? You see nothing but what appears to be the signs of death. Death of dreams, relationships, finances, health etc?? If there is one thing that Steve and I can say to you, it would be DON'T GIVE UP!! PERSEVERE!! KEEP GOING EVEN WHEN IT HURTS AND YOU JUST DONT SEE ANYTHING HAPPENING!! You could possibly be in a dormant season with new life right below the surface, ready to burst forth. If you give up now (throw out the plant) you will miss the beauty of the next season that God wants to lead you into. Be encouraged.
