Peace and Plants
In times of trials, one of the most elusive things is peace. I am that one student with normally busy sched due to acads, orgs, lakads, family, ministry, and many other stuff. And despite dealing with many commitments, I keep my holistic self on track by writing down on my journal all things (within my consciousness) happening in my clock. My own time is my boss on earth so, I always make sure to use it appropriately in a way that does not exhaust me to death. I know I am at peace when I have done all I had to do pretty fairly. Ironically, when CoViD-19 happened-->our university mass promoted--> I decided not to oblige myself to do acads and orgs--> no lakads due to quarantine--> family was anxious --> ministry slowed down--> I was left doing fairly nothing, no, actually I was excellently doing nothing--> all these made me lose my peace and left my mind nothing but chaos.
The Wake Up Call
It was nearly three months that I was restless (I couldn't sleep), I was anxious (I cry for something I do not even know), I was short-tempered (I easily get mad and my siblings suffer so much because of me), but the worst was, I was hopeless (I see only despair lit by darkness). I never thought that I would experience something like that because whenever my friends tell me about their mental despair, what I tell them after listening to all their issues was to pray and let it pass, pero it's very difficult pala to really walk this talk. Basta, during those times, all I do is ruminate about all the little things around me. There were no friends, no control; nothing really did help me. I was unsure about what my soul actually yearns for, it was just groaning for something I...had...no...idea...about.
Pero good thing, God uses things as instruments too in reaching out to His [very] lost sheep. One day, while I was surfing the net, my attention was caught by a post of a churchmate. He is a certified plant addict, proofs are visible on his social media accounts. (I didn't notice it if not for CoViD-19) On his post (that I saw), there were plants that I wasn't familiar about but did transmit some sort of tranquility to my chaotic mind. My curiosity about the plants made me stare at them and I didn't notice that my eyes were nailed na pala on the post for almost an hour. It was as if those plants were 'Godsent' to wake my soul up. Miraculously, it was only then that I knew it was peace that I needed the most. I ran to God with fear and shame, cried and asked for peace and restoration. Then, I created a 'new normal' routine that starts with kneeling like the usual (before anxiety and faltering faith came), but in addition to it, I also started my planting journey by purchasing cacti and succulents from my churchmate, Kuya Jayvee.
Pero good thing, God uses things as instruments too in reaching out to His [very] lost sheep. One day, while I was surfing the net, my attention was caught by a post of a churchmate. He is a certified plant addict, proofs are visible on his social media accounts. (I didn't notice it if not for CoViD-19) On his post (that I saw), there were plants that I wasn't familiar about but did transmit some sort of tranquility to my chaotic mind. My curiosity about the plants made me stare at them and I didn't notice that my eyes were nailed na pala on the post for almost an hour. It was as if those plants were 'Godsent' to wake my soul up. Miraculously, it was only then that I knew it was peace that I needed the most. I ran to God with fear and shame, cried and asked for peace and restoration. Then, I created a 'new normal' routine that starts with kneeling like the usual (before anxiety and faltering faith came), but in addition to it, I also started my planting journey by purchasing cacti and succulents from my churchmate, Kuya Jayvee.
 |
| This was one of the pictures on the post I was referring to. It was a ghost plant, a type of a succulent. Succulents are a group of plants that store water in their leaves, making their leaves look thick and fleshy. They can thrive in extended periods of drought and rely on the nutrients and water stored in their leaves. |
The Human Instrument
Aside from being an assistant and consultant in a clothing line, 23-year old Jayvee de Vera is also an entrepreneur. He inherited his love for plants from his lola (grandmother) who used to buy atleast three species of succulents and cacti each after every church mass back when he was young. His amazement started when he stared at the plants and noticed that they weren't the typical ones. According to him, the shapes and the colors of the plants are what mainly caught his attention, but the peace-attracting and stress-relieving effects of the plants (to him) are what made him be fond of taking care of them and propagating them.
"So nagsimula sa anim [hang]gang b[um]ili ng dalawa, tatlo uli, lima ulit, and then boom, dumami sila😅 may tawag tayo sa mga taong ayaw papigil sa pagbili ng halaman hehe 'Adik'😅. "
Being a self-proclaimed 'plant addict', he even used cacti and succulents as a topic for his group's thesis in college as a business administration student. And while gathering data with his groupmates for their proposal, they met a plant enthusiast and entrepreneur from Benguet who inspired them about his plant journey. At present, de Vera manages his own cacti and succelent business, Nature Bloom Cacti. Through this venture, he wants to share to everyone the positive effects of gardening as an effective personal creative activity in facing mental health problems. In fulfilling this purpose, I know that all his efforts will not be left in idle under the soil, for at the perfect time, they will gradually rise above the ground to show their significance. When I say significance, I am referring to the positive effects of gardening (and other personal creativity and mindfulness activities) in the mental health because at present, people do not only try to fight against the threats of the virus but they, I mean we, also battle against emotional distress and mental anxiety.
My plant journey begins...
June 1, 2020-- New month, new beginning. After getting the sched of my visit to Nature Bloom, I became very very very excited to meet my plant babies. I started to regain my sense of responsibility knowing that in a few days, I would be a mother to them. I cleaned the house and prepared a little spot for them to be placed at. And while cleaning, I saw some containers and instead of throwing them, I kept them. Fortunately, I still had a can of white paint (that I used as a primer for painting a year ago)! So, after scratching the surface of the containers using a sand paper, I started painting them!
June 3, 2020-- I visited Nature Bloom and adopted some babies. I named them after my family and some friends. When they came to our house, the first thing I did was to pray, thank God for using these organisms to bring peace and help me in my spiritual and mental crisis. I am very happy to show some of them to you!
 |
| This is my piggy dish garden. My sister broke this piggy bank on new year's eve so she could buy herself a present but instead of throwing it, I turned it into a pot for my succulents. |
 |
| These are other cacti whose pots are actually mugs I got last election from candidates giving away freebies with their bold faces painted on the surface during campaigns. (I think they won but I wonder where their faces go now.) |
 |
| This is a purple moon cactus. It lacks chlorophyll but never fails to bloom and showoff its own peculiar beauty. |
Reflection
The Bible used plants as metaphor in many stories for Christians, God's word, abundance, etc., but for the spiritual wilderness I had experienced, I am more than amazed to see how plants also played a major role in my spiritual healing. I also resonate with them because as a Christian, I know that: I need to dig deeper in my faith in God as a nourished soil so that no matter how strong the winds are, I will never be uprooted; I need to be watered by the presence of God to keep my spirit healthy and hydrated and; I need to be subjected to God's light to keep me growing. Moreover, I have realized that God is more that just an 'emotion', I mean, we usually say that God is present whenever we feel goosebumps or sense that everything is falling into its perfect place. But more than that, God actually is a Divine Persona who acts behind the scene. Sometimes, God makes us feel that He's absent for Him to see if we will still be faithful to Him despite not feeling His presence.
At present, I confidently say, I am not yet completely restored. However, just as growing the plants takes time, so as my inner healing and restoration. And I thank God for letting me experience it so that I can learn how to empathize with the ones who have been carrying such burden for so long and to testify that even if my faith falters and my soul thirsts, He will always keep on returning me back to Him for He knows that He is the only one who can quench my thirst and satisfy my soul.
To those who have been experiencing spiritual and mental drought, I hope you all understand that as a Christian, it is TOTALLY OKAY to feel that. However, you have to learn to assess yourself from time to time and keep yourself connected to God in prayer and in reading His Word. I pray that your faith and relationship with God keep going and not falter because at the end of the day, the greatest form of worship is not how one sings and dances inside the church due to the presence of God's spirit, but on how one surrenders even if God seems to be distant, just as how Jesus surrendered to His Father's will in Luke 22 (v. 42). Kaya kung you feel me and i feel you, let not your faith falter, what you are doing is the best form of worship!
To those who have been experiencing spiritual and mental drought, I hope you all understand that as a Christian, it is TOTALLY OKAY to feel that. However, you have to learn to assess yourself from time to time and keep yourself connected to God in prayer and in reading His Word. I pray that your faith and relationship with God keep going and not falter because at the end of the day, the greatest form of worship is not how one sings and dances inside the church due to the presence of God's spirit, but on how one surrenders even if God seems to be distant, just as how Jesus surrendered to His Father's will in Luke 22 (v. 42). Kaya kung you feel me and i feel you, let not your faith falter, what you are doing is the best form of worship!
PLUG!!! Visit Kuya Jayvee and Nature Bloom's social media accounts for updates and questions about cacti and succulents:
Nature Bloom
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamnaturebloom/
Jayvee De Vera
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayvee.devera.9
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jvictorious_27/
Want someone to talk to?
Comment on the post and let's get connected!
Comments
Post a Comment