On Being an Epiphyte

Have you feasted your eyes on all the beautiful Christmas plants in the stores?  One particularly interesting one is the Christmas cactus.  Its unique form consists of hanging branches made up of flat, green segments.  The flowers appear on the tips of the branches and have tiers of petals in a multitude of colors:  red, white, pink, purple, yellow or a combination of these colors.  Unlike most cactus that grow in dry desert climates, this plant is native to the Brazilian coast where the atmosphere around the plant is humid.
 
Another interesting feature of the Christmas cactus is that it is an epiphyte or air plant.  Like orchids, they grow primarily on branches or trunks of trees.  They are called air plants because "they have no firm grip in the earth."  The web site "Gardeningknowhow.com" tells us this:  "One of the amazing adaptions of epiphytes is their ability to attach to vertical surfaces and capture their water and much of their nutrient needs from sources other than soil."  The name epiphyte comes from the Greek word "epi," meaning "upon," and "phyton," meaning "plant."
 
It is common to find aerial roots growing from the branches of the Christmas cactus.  These roots serve several purposes in helping the cactus grow in its native Brazil.  They help the plant attach to the tree branches.  Tree bark and the crotches of branches collect organic debris that is rich in nutrients for the plants' roots.  In addition, the entire plant, including the roots, also gathers the moisture it needs from the air.
 
Let's take the information we have on the epiphytes to see how it corresponds to our life in the Spirit.  Go back to the fact that these plants have "no firm grip in the earth."  Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world...But now my kingdom is from another place." (John 18:36) Like Jesus, our inheritance is in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 25:34) Hebrews, Chapter 11, describes our fathers of the faith.  "They admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Verse 13) And, Peter writes, "I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11) We must not sink our roots into the soil of the world for we belong to the Kingdom of God.  Our tenure here is temporary.  Like the epiphytes, we must gather our water and nutrients from our source of life--The Spirit of God. "So then, just as you receive Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7)
 
Living water and the bread of life come from Jesus.  He came to earth to demonstrate how to drink and eat from Him and His Kingdom.  A song called "Breathe," written by Marie Barnett, comes to my mind.  She wrote it to describe the life-giving presence of our Lord:
 
     "This is the air I breathe; This is the air I breathe--Your holy presence, living in me. 
      This is my daily bread; This is my daily bread--Your very Word spoken to me.
       And I'm desperate for You.  And I'm lost without You."
 
That is it, dear ones.  We must spread out our roots and attach them to the Tree of Life.  Like the epiphytes, be fed and watered from the true Source of Life.