People, Plants, and Potential

September 22, 2021

By: Justin Gasdia, Master’s CMHC at Liberty University, Bridge of Hope Intern

Many people living in this day and age are more familiar with an urban or suburban environment. Chances are you may have never tilled soil, planted rows of crops, or harvested a field. However, you might know what it takes to keep your lawn green, care for house plants, or tend a garden or flower bed. You probably understand that the right conditions must be present for a plant to flourish. You also probably understand how weeds, toxins, or a trampling underfoot can cause a flower to wither and die. So it is with people. Like a plant, people need the right conditions to grow and flourish. 

At times, it can feel like we may have a lot coming against us. Toxic things that try to trample us under a heavy foot. It can feel overwhelming, to the point where we just don’t know what to do. This comparative analogy between people and cultivation is nothing new. In fact, it is a fundamental principle for human growth potential highlighted throughout Scripture. See for yourself: Psalm 1:3, Hosea 10:12, Gal 6:8, John 15:1-5, Matt 9:37, Mark 4:14-20.

Are you offering the same level of care for yourself that you might instinctively provide for your lawn, garden, or house plant? Does the environment you are planted in contain some possibly toxic people, thoughts, habits, or influences that keep you from growing? These can be challenging questions to process. We, at the Bridge of Hope, are here to roll up our sleeves and work with you, side-by-side, to help you tend the garden of your heart, mind, and soul.