This morning while I was helping my daughter arrange her room I saw a cactus that we bought together at Ikea some time ago. There were many green and leafy cacti there but she chose an abandoned one with some dry and broken branches. This is the one I want Mom, I’m going to rescue it. Honestly I wanted to purchase the one I had in my hand, a really nice one. I thought about trying to convince her to take the one I had because after all it’s not as though we were getting it for free, but then I thought better of it and stayed quiet.

As I was looking at the cactus, God reminded me that he does the same thing with us. Of all the green and leafy hearts, God chooses to rescue the ones that resemble the dry cactus because of the very high price He paid for them. It is exactly what he tells us in the parable of the lost sheep, He left 99 sheep that were safe to go and rescue the one who had gotten lost.

Luke 15: 1-7 NIV

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3So Jesus told them this story: 4“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

In order to rescue the cactus we had to use different instruments, a pitcher for watering, fresh water and a little light. In the same way God heals our hearts with a little bit of his light and a little bit of his water.

Last night I read that having a heart like God’s is not obtained by seeking to be good on our own, but rather it is obtained by loving God with all your might and loving others as much as you love yourself. When we truly love the Lord with our hearts and not just our mouths we will be consumed by what consumes him, we will worry about what worries him and there is nothing that consumes and worries God more than saving lost souls.

With love and care the cactus has greatly improved, but it’s been a process. It still has some broken branches that are recuperating. This also reminds me of our walk with Christ. It’s gradual healing, restoring, of brown and dry leaves to full green ones.

You should fall in love with God’s purpose, because He is completely in love with you.

Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching me your purpose and most of all thank you for inviting me to be a part of it. What a great privilege to be part of your kingdom and to have the opportunity to be your instrument to find those who are still lost.