I confess. I am a bit infatuated with succulents.
So much so, I have them all over our home. All kinds and all colors. These little plants bring a lift to my step and a joy to my heart. (Sometimes it’s the little things, right?)
The other day, however, I had the bright idea of replanting some for our daughter’s bridal shower. I had carefully crafted terracotta pots for their new homes and in my mind they were going to be even more amazing. As I carried two plants through our garage to begin the transplanting process, one was top-heavy and slipped forward in my hand. Attempting to adjust to the shift in weight, my hands lost their grip and the top-heavy plant slipped out.
As if in slow motion, I watched the horrifying scene and I couldn’t do anything about it. The plant cascaded top first to the cemented garage floor, and as it did, succulent leaves sprawled everywhere. My once amazingly beautiful plant was now in pieces.
When I mess up I get incredibly upset with myself.
This was one of those times. How could I have dropped it? After all, it was my favorite! Silly as it may read, tears formed as I stood in disbelief at the sight of my beautiful plant in ruin. How could something so pretty turn into something so un-pretty so fast?? My perfect plant was now destroyed.
I scooped up the numerous leaves and threw them in a container, planning to throw them out. But a thought trickled through my head. What would happen if I saved these? Quickly stepping back inside with broken leaves in hand, I Googled “how to grow succulents,” and I found a video detailing how to propagate succulents from broken leaves. Yes! This was it! I could have almost performed a cartwheel from my excitement in that moment. (Okay, not really. I’ve tried that before on a beach last year and that didn’t work out so well.)
Could I really grow more plants from a broken succulent?
It was worth a try. So, I grabbed what I call a seed starting container, filled it with cactus soil, and placed the leaves throughout the spaces. I spritzed them with water and now I wait. I wait to see if they’ll sprout.
I’m hoping they do, and I’m hoping they sprout before our next BYOB and B (Bring Your Own Bible and Beverage) event on October 29. Because they’ll make great examples regarding our subject that evening.
Beyond Brokenness.
Sadly, we live in a broken world, and because we do, many of us have broken places in our lives. Broken pasts, broken relationships, broken dreams. Some of us are living with broken hearts, broken plans, and even broken identities. Some of us might feel we’re so badly broken and so beyond repair, how could God ever consider us worthy? How could He love us so broken?
But, the thing is, God sees beyond the brokenness. What we see as broken (my succulent plant), God sees as opportunities to bring forth something beautiful (growth from broken succulent leaves). What we see as useless, God sees as priceless. God can bring growth and beauty and life and hope from the broken places in our lives!
God is the restorer of the broken places.
So, friend, the broken places in our lives are not the end of the story. They are just the beginning. Can we allow God to touch them, to restore them, and to make something beautiful from them? Will we allow Him?
He’s just getting started.
I’ll keep you posted on my succulents’ progress. In the meantime, if you’re local to me, I invite you out on Monday, October 29, for Beyond Brokenness. I believe it’s going to be one powerful evening of encouragement for women. (Details are below.)
You are loved, my friend. Yes, even in the broken places.
Blessings!
P.S. Just this morning I realized my broken plant (yes, I saved it), is sprouting new baby plants from the broken places!! God can do anything with our broken places.
Join us for our next BYOB and B event!
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Hi Julie! This post has a great message. With a new kitten in the house, who has not yet learned that my dining room table is a no-no, I too have broken plant pieces that I almost threw in the trash as I was cleaning up the mess. I also paused and decided to try and save them. I put them in vases of water and am waiting for roots to sprout so that I can replant. (They are small but growing!) I will now also be keeping an eye on the base stems left to see if new growth begins there as well. Thank you for the life application message. Broken does not always mean useless and dead. Beautiful new life can be hidden within.
I also love the additional surprise information this post contains. My teenage daughter is taken with succulents too. So far she has not had success with transplants at all. Cactus soil! Now we know! Thank you! Just in time too. Last weekend she was given 9 teeny, tiny, adorable, succulent buckets that were the table favors to a wedding some family members attended. There is hope! Yay!
Kim, how fun (and crazy some days) to have a new kitty! Good for you for saving those broken pieces and putting them in water. Keep me posted on their progress! Yes, the soil I get is Miracle Gro’s Cactus, Palm & Citrus Potting Soil Mix. I found it at Walmart this summer. Hope it works for your daughter. Works great for me so far. Thanks for sharing!
Wait!!! What???? I love succulents. I could have had plants from alll those fallen branches??!!
Now we all know. At least I hope these grow. I’ll keep you posted!