Consider the Water Lilies

Have you ever wondered how a murky, slimy pond can produce a pure, white water lily? Beginning at a water lily’s roots, here are a few secrets of its success.

The root cells contain a greater concentration of salts and sugars than the water around them. To maintain equilibrium, pure water is pulled through the roots to the stem, leaves, and flower by osmosis. Along the way, each cell receives water and nutrients.

Similarly, the influence of God’s grace surrounds each of us, even in the murk and slime of this world. Just as the water lily would weaken and decay quickly if it refused to draw life-giving water from its dismal surroundings, so our spiritual stamina decreases when we refuse the fresh drafts of God’s grace as we pass through trials and hardships.

Large air spaces are contained between the cells of the water lily’s