Don't Get Rootbound: Let God's Blessings Flow

I repotted a peace lily that has been in my house for quite a while. It’s actually a very special plant to me. It came from a friend’s funeral. There were so many beautiful flowers and plants at the service, and his family blessed me by letting me bring this one home. It's in a prominent place so it often brings to mind this friend we lost too soon, and it reminds me to pray for his family.

But it had been in the same pot for quite a while, so this weekend I decided it was time to give it a little more room. When I pulled it out of the pot, I couldn't believe how rootbound it was! The roots had completely filled the space they had. They were tangled together and had nowhere else to go. I put it into a bigger pot, and I'm expecting it to grow quite a bit now that it has room to spread out.

And as I was doing that, I started wondering: Can people get a little rootbound, too?

God blesses us. We learn. We grow. We take in His Word, His grace, His encouragement, His love. And all of that is good. But what happens if we just keep taking it in and never let it flow out? Maybe we can become so focused on receiving that we forget we were also created to give.

I was reminded of that recently while helping with a food distribution. A pastor there was talking about how sometimes they are blessed with an abundance of food—especially perishable items that need to be given away right away. They can't just hold onto it until their regularly scheduled food distribution. Sometimes they have to get the word out: “Come and get it!”

And he made a simple but powerful point: it does no good to hold onto what God has blessed you with when someone else can receive what they need. And I think that's true in so many areas of our lives.

Maybe God has given you encouragement that someone else desperately needs today. Maybe you've learned something through a difficult season that could help someone who's walking through something similar. Maybe you have time, resources, a skill, a listening ear, or simply the ability to show someone kindness. What if God didn't give those things to us just for us?

As Christians, we're called to serve, to encourage, to love, to give, and to be a blessing to others. What God is growing in us is meant to overflow into the lives of the people around us. And there's something else I've noticed: when we refresh others, God has a way of refreshing us.

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

I've experienced that myself. There are days when I feel weary and worn out. I don't always feel like I have much left to give. But when I choose to put God's ways ahead of my own and look for an opportunity to encourage or help someone else, God has a way of meeting me there.

Somehow, in the process of refreshing someone else, He refreshes me.

Maybe that's part of the reason we're not supposed to get rootbound. The peace lily couldn't grow any bigger until it had room to spread out. And sometimes we may need to do the same—not by taking in more, but by letting some of what God has already given us flow out.

So maybe ask yourself today: What has God given me that someone else might need?

Don't hold onto it so tightly that you become rootbound. Let it flow. And trust God to keep filling—and refreshing—you as you give.