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The Story of a Plant Named Ivy

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(THIS IS ONE OF MY LONGEST POSTS EVER. SORRY! I HAVE NO DOUBT THIS IS GOD’S PLAN FOR MY MORNING! WOW! PRAISING HIM FOR EYES TO SEE!)

There was once a plant named Ivy that made her way to a warm, southern facing kitchen window. She felt overjoyed to be handpicked and purchased. She no longer had to live in a nursery. Her gardener watched over her, watering her as needed. The individual attention made felt special. But over time Ivy’s small frame grew and she became unruly. Her vines tangled because they became so long and overgrown. She felt neglected and uncared for. But she continued to dream of something becoming beautiful and offering something of value to her little world.


One day out of blue, the gardener started pulling her tangled branches apart. As much as she wanted to be out of knots, she wasn’t sure she liked being treated with such force. Being pulled on stressed her out. She wondered what was better: being left alone or being tangle free.

Then he stuck two metal ends inside her soil. She felt and heard her deep roots tearing inside her pot. Feeling abused, she wondered if all her dreams of becoming beautiful were coming true or if she was going to die a slow, painful death.

The gardener grabbed her spindly vines one at a time and twisted them around that strange, metal thing. She tried screaming, “Leave me alone. You’re killing me.” But no sound came out. She felt unheard. Mistreated. Violated.



After most of her branches were secure and wrapped around the metal, Ivy saw the gardener reach for scissors and a plastic container. She shook in terror. “Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this?”

The remaining loose branches were snipped off in a bunch. Ivy bleed and wept.


Ivy didn’t do anything to deserve this violence. she glanced over in horror at her master gardener and then quickly turned away. The amputated branches were being cut into shorter pieces. Each branch then dipped into a white chemical. “If only I could read the label!” she thought. “What is that? poison?” But the label was turned away from her. She imagined the worst.

Watching her broken branches being cut and mistreated hurt her heart. Ivy’s sorrow became rage.

She never looked back. She abandoned any desire to see her branches again. She mourned them as dead.


Then Ivy saw a pile of dying leaves in front of her.

“Why didn’t you clean up after yourself, evil master? Are you trying to rub in your handiwork? Well, I’m not ready to see myself. So forget it. What you’ve done to me cost me! It hurt! You torn my life apart.”

Ivy no longer trusted her gardener. When he watered her, she felt guilty for thinking such bad things.

This weird wire made Ivy feel awkward. She felt lighter with less branches, but yet confined to her new position. Some of her wounds still ached from the pruning. But she had one thing to be thankful for, her owner no longer held shears. She was placed back in her favorite spot. The sunny, garden window.

As Ivy soaked in the warm rays, she began to relax. She was no longer being manhandled. What a relief! And for some strange reason, she let her guard down. She looked outside. In that brief moment, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. Shocked and amazed, she saw she had shape. She saw her newly formed heart. She cried out as tears of joy fell down her leaves. Ivy felt beautiful.

“Please forgive me for complaining, Master Gardener. You’ve watched over me all my life. I had no idea You were making my mess beautiful. Please forgive me for doubting Your care. I can’t believe my pain caused me to feel so angry, so betrayed and abused. You are not evil. You are amazingly good. I now see Your hands are gentle. Thank you for granting me my dream of one day becoming beautiful. I can’t believe that’s me. Wow, the pruning process is necessary to bring forth new shape and beauty. Thank you for cutting off my excess branches. Actually, I look better without them. They were in the way, weren’t they?”

Wait, Ivy. I have something to show you. I never threw away your broken branches. I used every one of them to create something new.




Meet your branches. Like you, she will start out small. I will let her grow. As she matures, I will care for her. She, too, will look messy and tangled, but there will come a day when I will prune and shape her in another beautiful heart.

“But Master, she’s already beautiful. Look at her!”

Ivy, the first day I saw you I thought the same thing about you. Beautiful is your name! That is why I picked you. You caught my eye. Through my pruning process, you finally saw your true beauty as your heart was revealed. It took you a while to believe, didn’t it?

“Wow, I hope I can help her to see her true beauty sooner than I did.”

You will. Just keep reminding her of what you see in her. Tell her your story. Remind her of Me and what I can do; take a mess and make it beautiful.

Ivy smiled. Her heart overflowed with joy and gratitude. She wanted to hug her new friend. Her once thought dead branches now in a pot of their own, growing and alive! Living independent from her, dependent on the Master Gardener. Amazing!

For the first time in Ivy’s life, she really believed she was offering something of value to this world.

Life to others.

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Comments

  2. Thank you for this beautiful story.
    My heart and soul needed to hear this. He makes all things new.
    Miriam

  7. What a picture of how the Gardener prunes us to produce more in our lives.
    Melanie@Bella~Mella

  8. Wow! How beautiful. If only we would remember that “…ALL things work together for the good to those who love the Lord and are called according to HIS purposes.” Romans 8:28. Thank you for “Ivy”.

  13. An exquisite and clear picture of the pruning process of our Lord. I love your creativity, Tiffany – your commitment to hear and follow Jesus. You are an example of Him bringing out the best in us.

  14. Tiffany,

    This is my all-time favorite post of yours. Such truth, such beauty. This has “gift book” written all over it. Think about approaching a publisher. I’m serious. By the way, may I reprint it on my blog, giving you credit and a link to your site?

    Blessings and hugs,
    Lucy

  16. Hi Friend.. Interesting post.. Keep up the good work.. Do visit my blog and post your comments.. Take care mate.. Cheers!!!

  17. Tiffany, I love watching you blossom in your writing. The story is beautiful and so powerful. We are all like that ivy.

    May God prune us all heavily in the spring that we may see Jesus reflected in the mirror.
    Thanks for listening to the master and writing as he directs.

    Paulette Harris

  20. Oh my! What a beautiful, beautiful post. The story of Ivey and her lovely branches. Thank you for sharing this. I needed this today…right now.

  21. If I told you how the Lord gave me something so similar to this when I was going through a dark time, you would be amazed.

    What a beautiful story so much like mine! And yet so much clearer with words and photos!

    God bless your beautiful <3

  22. Wonderful story and so pertinent to our lives. Blessings to you dear one for this.
    Hugs, Noreen

  23. that was incredible…

    thank you… I have a friend with a daughter name Ivey.. I wonder if she knows this story…

    blessings…

  26. Hey Tiffany,

    Oh, I’ve missed you and your incredible posts. Finally getting over here.

    WOW…what an awesome story! Perfect illustration to show what God does in all of our lives.

    I have a friend who did a teaching about prunning, and she titled it “Prunned to Bloom”.

    Thanks so much for sharing Ivy’s transformation with us!!

    No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11