Scott Walker tells the story of purchasing his favorite flowering plant, the hibiscus. He bought it during the summer, placed it on his patio, and without any effort on his part, it was nurtured by rain and his sprinkler system. It grew rapidly, and was lush with rich green leaves and bright trumpet blossoms.

Brought into his sunny breakfast room to protect it from the cold in the winter, the hibiscus was not automatically water. Scott forgot to water it and soon the hibiscus wilted, its leaves yellowed, and it was falling to the floor. He was ready to toss it into the garbage can, but as he passed the kitchen sink, he decided to try watering the hibiscus to give it one last chance. Soon the water brought the plant back to a flourishing life.

Scott recounts “This morning, as I sat at the breakfast table and looked at the hibiscus, it occurred to me that when I haven’t attended to my spiritual life, it begins to wilt and wither, and only prayer can bring back its vitality and rekindle its hope. If, in the midst of winter, I’ve allowed the frost to touch my soul, I cannot wait one more day to water it with prayer.”

How true Scott’s lesson is. I must nourish and tend to my soul regularly. It takes conscious effort on my part – it cannot be automatically fed and no one else can do it. When I take time to nurture my spirit through practice of prayer, meditation, reading, and helping others, I thrive and my life gets better and better.