The Cycle of a Cactus

This past week I took a trip (a fantastic trip) to the beautiful city of San Diego. My experience there was different than what I expected, yet it was even better than what I wanted. I learned a lot while I was there- a lot about myself, about history, about my life, and about God.

I learned that San Diego is amazing. I learned that Juan Cabrillo, the first Spanish settler to land in San Diego, set sail on the day of my birthday, 1542. I learned how to disc golf, and that the California sun is much harsher than what shines in Michigan (I may or may not have looked similar to a lobster at one point).

I learned that as I travel, it’s not so much the places, but the God who created them that I fall more in love with.

I could actually dedicate an entire blog post to what I learned and experienced during my time in California (and perhaps I will). However, there was something else that specifically caught my eye; the reason for this writing.

One morning I went to Cabrillo, beautiful cliffs on which the Spanish settler first landed, to soak up some sights, history, and beauty. On these cliffs, there was a small section in which a specific type of cacti grew. It was explained to me that these cacti followed a specific cycle of life in always the same time period. This cactus would grow tall for one whole year. Once it reached its peak, the cactus would bloom a beautiful flower. Days later, though not many, the flower would quickly die, the seeds would fall to the ground, and the new cactus would begin again.

Fascinating, right? What’s even more is that as I admired these plants in front of me, I was able to see how fast this process was, as there was a mix of growing, budding, planting, and dying cacti in the same bunch. I could physically see how short of a life span this cactus had, and I could see it in its various forms.

It amazed me how this plant continually went through the same, seemingly pointless cycle, though the uniqueness of it exposed to me once again the creativity of my God.

But could you imagine?! To expound all of your energy for an entire year to bloom for such a short period of time and then die shortly after?

As I pondered the life of the cactus, I wondered, “Maybe this is my life, too.”

Certainly not what it’s supposed to be, but instead what I've made it to be. I expound all of my energy to achieve certain goals- to reach success, to be skinny, to gain wealth- yet will I not quickly pass as well?

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14

I spend all of my energy on these “goals” I want to reach, but for what purpose? To what end? Because depending on what I am striving for, I could not even bloom! Yet this cycle just goes on and on: expounding, short reward, death, expounding, short reward, death. What a terribly miserable cycle.

“There was a man all alone … there was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless- a miserable business.” Ecclesiastes 4:8

It was so sad to me, this cactus. I felt a pang of sorrow for this plant that spent the majority of its existence either striving or dying. It seemed so purposeless to me to spend all that time growing for such a short period of bloom, though somehow I found it easier to see this in the cactus than in myself.

That’s what nature does to me, I guess. It puts crazy ideas in my head and makes me reflect on life. You put me in a desert and I start comparing myself to plants.

That day, I learned I was living like this cactus- wasting my life working toward a short moment of potential reward. Now don’t get me wrong, for the cactus that’s perfectly fine! I don’t exactly know why God would create such a plant, though it fascinates me that he did.

Here’s what I am saying: I wasn't made to live like a cactus.

I was not made to spend my life striving for a moment of fleeting beauty, and yet so much like the cactus, I do. Oh, but what a waste! There is so much life to live and I miss it because I’m too focused on using my time, energy, and thoughts in this manner.

We all have our “moments of bloom” that we strive for, though they can vary in appearance and form. But let me tell you, this is not the purpose God had in mind for us! No, we were created for so much more- for life.

In Isaiah 43:7, we see that God created us for his glory, and again in Colossians 1:16 that we were made through him and for him. Ephesians 2:10 says that we were created in Christ to do good works, and Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine so others may see these good works and give glory to God.

While it can appear that we were made solely to be “used” by God, Jonathan Edwards, a Christian preacher and theologian from the 18^th century, said it this way:

“God’s purpose for my life is that I have a passion for God’s glory and that I have a passion for my joy in that glory, and that these two are one passion.”

Further explaining this point, John Piper (a preacher and famous author) wrote, “It has become clearer to me that God being glorified and God being enjoyed are not separate categories … enjoying God supremely is one way to glorify him. Enjoying God makes him look supremely valuable. We were made to see and savor God- and savoring him, to be supremely satisfied, and thus spread in all the world the worth of his presence.”

So as you can see, we were made for a much greater and more significant purpose than to use all of our energy and time striving for the single “moment of bloom” we desire. Instead, our lives find deeper meaning when we use them as they were meant to be- glorifying, enjoying, and sharing the greatness of our God.