Caelie Wilkes recently shared her story on Facebook about a plant she had been nurturing for two years: “I’ve had this beautiful succulent for about two years now.  I was so proud of this plant.  It was full: beautiful coloring, just an overall perfect plant.  I had it up in my kitchen window.  I had a watering plan for it. If someone else tried to water my succulent, I would get so defensive because I just wanted to keep good care of it.  I absolutely loved my succulent.”

If this plant was so beautiful, why is she speaking of this plant in the past tense?

When she decided to transplant the plant to a new pot, she made a shocking discovery: the plant was made of plastic!

“I put so much love into this plant!” Wilkes wrote in frustration.  “I washed its leaves.  [I] tried my hardest to keep it looking its best, and it’s completely plastic!  How did I not know this?  I pull it from the container [to find that] it’s sitting on Styrofoam with sand glued to the top!”

“I feel like these last two years have been a lie," Wilkes concluded.*

Wilkes’ experience reminds us that we can often give ourselves to pursuits that often prove to be pointless and unfulfilling.

Consider a case study.  Read the book of Ecclesiastes about a “preacher’s” search for meaning and fulfillment in the things that this world has to offer.  He tried relationships with many different women.  He tried purchasing the best things that money could buy and he, King Solomon, had LOTS of money.  He tried “living it up” with lots of wine, women, and song.  What did he discover in each of these pursuits?  "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Preacher. "Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 1:2).  Solomon discovered that trying to find meaning and fulfillment in the things of the world is like spending two years watering and nurturing a plastic plant!

At the end of his search, Solomon came to this conclusion:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all” (12:13).

Solomon’s conclusion points to the truly meaningful, fulfilling, and eternal life that is found in Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  This “abundant life” does not refer to the abundance of things that this world has to offer (cf. Luke 12:15), but to the greater, spiritual, and eternal blessings that only Christ can give – things like peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7), forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7), and eternal life in heaven (John 14:1-3).  Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could enjoy these greater and eternal blessings.

God will save from sin and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Trying to find meaning and fulfillment in worldly pursuits is like watering a plastic plant; it’s pointless, meaningless.  Focus your life on that which is life indeed: the abundant, eternal life that is found in Jesus.

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “Woman discovers plant she's been watering for two years is actually plastic” by Michael Hollan, www.foxnews.com.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org