One of the plants I keep at my office desk is a vine-like plant called Alternanthera Ficoidea. If you are not a plant person, let me introduce you to the plant’s common nickname – Joseph’s Coat. The plant received the nickname Joseph’s Coat by plant lovers because while it is a green vine-like plant, when exposed to proper sunlight it can grow to display, purple, pink, orange, or red in its leaves depending on the plant’s subspecies. Like our bible friend Joseph (Genesis 37), this plant wears many beautiful colors.

But the beauty of this plant only comes out when it spends time in the sunlight. Being in an office, my plant continues to grow under florescent lights when watered, but it lacks the trademark purple coloring in the leaves – it looks like any green office plant. Every few weeks or so I will set the plant in a window sill over the weekend so it can soak up sunshine and when I return on Monday, the purple color has taken over the plant once again.

This got me thinking about a famous quote by C.S. Lewis:

The world will try desperately to fill the hole in our hearts that can ONLY be filled by God. Like the Joseph’s Coat plant, we might be able to find “success” in terms of money, career, or temporary happiness with what the world can offer. If we try to grown only in the “fluorescent light” this world offers, we will grow slowly and display only our meager green. But just like the Joseph’s Coat’s true colors shine through when exposed to true sunlight, We as believers will only ever find true contentment, meaning, and purpose when living for Christ. Living for Jesus will bring out our most beautiful colors and give us deeper meaning and purpose that this world could never satisfy.