Just Leaves and Withers

I love hyacinth flowers. I found some of last year’s bulbs, safely stored in the cellar. I planted them in new compost, well-watered, placed in a sunny spot after keeping them in darkness for the first few weeks. The leaves were wonderfully lush, but the flowers were poor. Nay, they were non-existent.

Few grow hyacinths for the beauty of their foliage; the gardener wants the blooms and their room-filling scent. This I was denied, and off they went to the bin, the compost and pots being given to more rewarding prospects. Did I over-feed? Under-feed? Expect too much from last year’s bulbs? Greener fingers than mine might have done better; wiser heads than mine will doubtless wish to share their horticultural expertise. 

Christ expects good deeds from His redeemed people. This is not to admit them to heaven- His own deeds have purchased that privilege. Rather, He seeks a crop, growth, fruit. I sometimes fear than my crop is nothing but dense foliage- outwardly promising, but little underneath.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. " (John 15:1-2)