Finding a New Home

^“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”John 19:26-27 (N.I.V)

Potted plants need to be replanted because after a while the nutrients in the soil get exhausted. You take the plant and remove the hardened soil around the roots and put it into another container with fresh fertile soil. Like potted plants, sometimes we are used to God providing for us in a certain way, but sometimes different times call for different means. We have to be uprooted and replanted. Jesus was leaving the world, and would no longer be available to his mother in his human form. Mary needed to go and live with John, somebody who had been with Jesus to the very end, and who would therefore be trusted to be with Mary to the very end, due to his demonstrated love for Christ. Mary also needed to know Christ, not as a son but as the Savior and to build a new spiritual relationship with him.

Is all that you had depended on falling apart? Do you need repotting? In which direction is your life headed? This Easter, let the Lord shake out the old soil from your roots, maybe even cut off some and replant you into his healthy ways where you can flourish.

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“Repotting a plant gives it space to grow. Repotting ourselves means taking leave of our everyday environments and walking into unfamiliar territory—of the heart, of the mind and of the spirit. It isn’t easy. The older we get, the more likely we are to have remained in the same place for some time. We stay because it’s secure. We know the boundaries and, inside of them, we feel safe. Our roots cling to the walls we have long known. But remaining inside can keep us from thriving. Indeed, without new experiences or ideas, we slowly grow more and more tightly bound, eventually turning into less vibrant versions of who we might have been. Repotting means accepting that the way is forward, not back. It means realizing that we won’t again fit into our old shells. But that’s not failure. That’s living.” Heather Cochran

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