I thought I finally found the perfect spot for this high maintenance diva.  My moody plant has been thriving in its corner of the bedroom location for almost a year now. I finally solved the puzzle and made this neurotic plant happy!

(If this story is sounding eerily familiar mamas, its because I wrote about this same diva plant years ago titled:  MOODY.  Feel free to search and re-read. You will be up to speed on the complicated history with this high maintenance diva plant!)

We are now finishing our full-blown winter season. The snow’s delayed start made its debut last month and with a bang! Freezing temps were the norm. This meant the heat kicked on, and stayed on and on and on.  If you don’t believe me, I can show you my gas bill! Aside from the financial hit, another casualty of this winter season appears to be my moody, high maintenance, diva plant. 

My diva plant changes started subtle, then my diva got a little more saggy, then she escalated for dramatic effect; not even able to support her own weight.

Isn’t this just what life does mamas? You stay strong where you are planted.  Then a heat wave comes, and you wither; little by little.  The longer the exposure to this heated trial the more withering. But you have to stay where you are because you are rooted. 

My moody diva plant is a perfect snap shot of these life seasons.  We don’t just collapse when something goes wrong. Jesus made us too resilient for that.  We have strong and then have weak phases. Depleted phases. Thriving phases. Long hard, heat phases.

And then we have phases where we look like this…

Total failure.

Which photo represents you mama?

My moody diva is currently on life support. The freezing temps have subsided; the constant barrage of heat has halted. Yet here she lays; she seems to have given up. Today she wilts, crushed under her own weight.  Is there any coming back from this?

I could see my moody diva struggling but honestly I was done catering to her high maintenance whims.  In the past, I had tried so many different locations. I wanted her to be happy and thrive. This corner bedroom spot was her longest and happiest spurt. 

I may seem like a cruel gardener. This time, when she started acting up again, I left her alone. I decided to try the ‘tough love’ plant strategy. Her purpose is to brighten that corner of the room. That is where she was rooted. She needed to find her strength, tap into her resilience, adjust and adapt. If she isn’t hearty enough to weather this heat storm, I will have to find another plant that is.  

Mamas, we also have a job to do in our own little corners of the world. Jesus has placed us with purpose. When we are in sync with Jesus and know our purpose, then we can draw our strength and support from Him. We need to be strong on the inside so we can be resilient on the outside. But total failure is what happens when we try to manage life on our own. Some of us can hold it together longer than others, but we weren’t created to do life alone.

For my mamas in a season of baby loss and feeling like you are on the brink of total failure, remember we weren’t created to grief alone either. Tap into your support network.

Mamas, if Jesus were to give you your heavenly report card today, what diva plant photo would He say you are? Would you agree? Are you weathering or withering away your life?  Don’t worry, Jesus is a much more patient gardener than I.

Here is my diva today. Slowly rising back to life with one prominent branch ahead of the others. Don’t give up mamas.  There is hope for us all on the horizon.