Jade Plant

I possess two crassula ovata, commonly called jade plants, lucky plants, or money trees. As they have brought me neither luck nor money, I shall call them jade plants, on account of their leaves’ deep green hue. One often sees them growing in the windows of Chinese takeaways, but on a larger scale. One of mine is a pain; its leaves fall off for reasons I can never fathom, while the other cheerfully gets on with life. The latter even flowered for the first time, creating little inflorescences, which are clusters of flowers on a stem. Mine were white, pink and very dainty. As I inspected them, I beheld black fly enjoying the little flowers’ sap. How did they get there? How did they find my flowers? The windows were closed, and the thick, glossy leaves offer aphids little satisfaction. I squashed them all as best I could, though I must return and dispatch the survivors.

It seems that whenever humans develop virtue, there is a corresponding vice to offer counterbalance. When we develop technology to achieve good, there is always a multiplicity of avenues for evil. Take the internet, for instance. One may use it to listen to helpful sermons expounding scriptural truth, or one may use it to speak hatred, plan terrorism and coordinate evil. Wherever beauty is found, ugliness pursues; whenever technology develops, so too its opportunities for ill. This is called living in a fallen world. This is called ‘the Curse’. Our Saviour came to rescue us from its clutches, and one day, the whole of creation shall be freed from its clasp.

And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. And they shall see his face, and his Name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the Sun: for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for evermore. And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be fulfilled. Behold, I come shortly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book. Rev 22:3-7, Geneva Bible