(Edited: You can listen to my radio interview “Surviving Cancer” on Encouragement Cafe by clicking HERE. You’ll hear how the Living Word of God has sustained my life.)

Isn’t that hydrangea lovely? You should have seen it yesterday. Too bad I didn’t take that picture. The heads of the blooms were hanging down and the “pink” was fading away. My husband bought this for me four days ago. It sat on the front porch in the plastic container and neither of us thought to water “her.” For two days she sat outside the front door taking in the heat from a Florida sun. Even still she was pretty in pink. For a while.

On the third day I stepped out to walk the dog and I saw her. I actually gasped!

Wilted. Forlorn. Dry.

The dog would  have to wait. I grabbed a plastic  tumbler, filled it and watered her. Later in the day I checked and saw no change.

I was afraid we had lost her.

Five thirty and my husband came home from work. I met him at the door and pointed out the obvious. He frowned.

“I know. I forgot to water. It doesn’t take long to dry out in this heat.”

Quickly I replied, “I added a large tumbler full of water this morning.”

“Oh, it  needs a lot more water than that.” He filled an empty gallon sized container and started pouring.

“When it’s full, it’ll drain out,” he added, just as a small puddle  of water escaped from the bottom of the plastic container.

This morning I stepped out the door, leash in hand, dog at foot. I had forgotten about our little casualty on the porch

“Good morning!” she seemed to greet me as the brilliance of her blooms caught my attention.

“Wow!” I exclaimed. And again, “Wow!” Truly, I was stunned at the change in her appearance.

After returning from the curb, I grabbed the camera and Hydrangea posed prettily in her pink frock highlighted by her dark green accessories.

As I snapped a few pictures, I reflected on the first few months after Andrew passed. I had no appetite, I lost weight and I was drowning in my clothes. My face was gaunt and I walked stooped over from the weight of grief. Physically I was undernourished and my physical condition mirrored my spiritual one. I found it hard to read my bible and pray. One afternoon I cried out to God and experienced a spiritual intervention. As a result, I made some physical and spiritual changes. Two of which were to run again and start a scripture memorization plan. Soon I regained my appetite for food and for His word.

Though not an overnight transformation like that of my pretty pink hydrangea, transformation has occurred nonetheless. Somehow…some SUPERnatural HOW, God’s word transforms us. But WE must take it in.

• We must be people of the Word but we must also be people IN the Word.
• When we neglect the watering of the Word, over time we become malnourished.
• Our spiritual lives droop and lose color when our “soil” is dry.
• We were made BY the Word, made FOR the Word and we are maintained IN the Word.

I’ll be sharing more on the “water of the Word” – perhaps in a short video.

Christ gave Himself for us that He might sanctify and cleanse us with the washing of water by the word.