This week’s plant of the week is Stephania erecta… also known as the plant that basically looks like a dried-up potato when you first get it 😅🌿

Seriously. When this plant arrives, it does not look alive at all. It is just this strange little round caudex sitting there looking completely dormant. No leaves or vines.

Nothing exciting is happening on the surface.

And then… you wait.

Eventually, the most perfectly quirky little leaves begin popping out of the caudex. Round leaves that almost look like tiny UFOs floating on delicate vines. It turns into one of the most unique and beautiful plants, but at first, you truly have to trust that something is happening even when you cannot see it yet.

You have to have faith that something beautiful is coming.

That actually reminds me of something amazing that recently happened with my oldest son.

He recently moved in with me for a fresh start and the opportunity to play basketball at a new school here. Basketball is his passion. He lives and breathes it. He practices constantly and puts his whole heart into it. So when tryouts came around, we were hopeful and excited for him.

After only two days, the coach cut him from the team.

As you could imagine, he was devastated. Honestly, so was I. It is heartbreaking watching your child feel like their dreams are slipping away, especially after taking such a huge leap of faith and leaving behind everything familiar to start over somewhere new.

But even through all of it, something deep down in me felt like the story was not over yet.

So I called my family and asked them to pray for him. We took it to God.

The very next day before practice started, the coach called him and said he wanted him on the team after all. Apparently several of the players had stood up for him and told the coach that Jasper deserved to be there.

I cannot even explain the relief and joy we both felt in that moment. I just remember immediately thanking God for turning the situation around.

And honestly, that whole experience reminded me so much of this plant.

Stephania erecta goes dormant every winter. All the leaves fall off and once again it goes back to looking like a lifeless potato sitting in a pot. But even when it looks dead, I still water it and care for it. I still believe new growth is coming because I know what it is capable of producing when the season changes.

I think life can feel like that sometimes too.

Sometimes things look still. Delayed. Hopeless even. Sometimes it feels like prayers are sitting dormant beneath the surface with no sign that anything is happening at all.

But that does not mean God is not working.

Lately, I have been praying hard for the ability to become my own boss someday and homeschool my youngest child. I do not know exactly when it will happen or what path God will use to get me there, but I am choosing to say it out loud anyway: I believe it will happen.

So I will keep showing up. I will keep creating. I will keep planting seeds. I will keep moving forward with faith in my heart even when things look quiet on the surface.