The Healing Power of Love: How a Stranger Redeemed My Dead Plant

So I killed this thing.

Once, a real nice lady gave me a real nice plant for my office…and I done kilt it. It was tall and lush and green and full and beautiful, and I gave it the ol’ Extreme Makeover, Neglect Edition, and turned it into a crusty brown pile of detritus in a pot.

I didn’t know where to throw it out. So, after I killed the plant, I put the pot formerly known as “plant” out on the veranda, which was a commons area for all the organizations in our building. That way, no one would know who abandoned the pot-o-nothing. I’m a class act.

The radio studio shared a wall with the veranda. I looked out the window during the show one morning and noticed this prim, middle-aged, bookish lady — someone I still haven’t met — watering the dead plant. Naive, but, you know, sweet. But mostly naive.

She came out and did this every single day. I’d be on the air, notice some movement to my right, out the window, and there she was, watering and trimming the dead plant.

And then the dead plant, which Brant Hansen killed, started growing. The darn thing started shooting up green. It grew and grew, and she kept trimming it, too, here and there. She kept watering.

One morning, I looked out and marveled: That plant that I, Brant Hansen, personally killed, was now more beautiful than when I had it in my office. It was back, better than ever. Glowing healthy! And it occurred to me…

I could take my plant back now.

It would look great it my office! I’ll just go snag it sometime when no one’s out there, and bring it back in — you know, liven up the office for the me-meister!

And I mentioned this to my wife, Carolyn. She said it wouldn’t be right to take the plant back. She said it wasn’t mine anymore.

She said that lady redeemed it, so it’s hers now.

Amazing what love does.

Brant Hansen

Morning Show Host, STAR 99.1


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Brant Hansen

11 Comments

  1. Melissa Allan on March 9, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    Great illustration on how something you think is dead can be brought back to life with a little love and care. God redeems our brokenness with his tender love. No matter how “dead” we think we are there is still a lot of life left in us. God turns “graves into gardens”. The love of God is more powerful than our human minds could ever comprehend.

    • Brant Hansen on March 10, 2023 at 4:35 pm

      Thanks for reading, Melissa!

  2. Deb on March 9, 2023 at 10:42 pm

    Wow, what Jesus does for us- pots of dead and dried up leaves!! But with love and nurturing, we can flourish and produce fruit. What Jesus has redeemed, the “BH” killers can’t take back. Thank you for this!!! Your wife is very wise, by her way!!!

    • Brant Hansen on March 10, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      She totally is!!

  3. Dominick Regina on March 10, 2023 at 6:50 am

    Well said me-meister!

    • Brant Hansen on March 10, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      Ha! Thank you.

      Sincerely,
      Me-Meister

  4. Fortune Coratti on March 10, 2023 at 9:01 am

    Oh my lol! That’s a great story and lesson for all of us to learn.
    Amen brother.

  5. Brant Hansen on March 10, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    Thank you!!

  6. Denise on March 10, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    Praise God. Wonderful illustration that the God who has redeemed us back to himself the One who brought us out of darkness (death) that we now fully belongs to Him. Satan the one who gives death has no more claim to us. Yes Lord, I am redeemed bought with a price, Jesus has changed my whole life, If anybody ask you, just who I am, tell them I am redeemed!!!

  7. Linda Maiorana on March 11, 2023 at 8:02 am

    Oh boy – the wife was right again. Thanks for sharing. Message received. 🙂 We can all use a little watering from God.

  8. juanita God's child on March 18, 2023 at 11:06 am

    love and cared can brings back life to plants, but mostly humans, I moved to a place where it is impossible to make a friend, Everyone was born here and never left, I told my husband the only way I’ll meet someone who wants to be a friend they will have to had moved here from another state, well, Erin moved here with her husband from Texas, a artist, she helped me make a space in the basement for my quiet place, free, now all is needed is the futon I ordered and lamps, pray my basement doesn’t get wet, she is 60 and I’m 74, she is tall and I’m short, both of us are from abusive relationships, many to many, seems all my friends where I used to live, NJ, were all in abusive relationships,

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