As tough as the chameleon plant

For three years now, I have waged a battle against the chameleon plant in one of my flower beds. This plant is an invasive ground cover that is almost impossible to get rid of. In year one, the plant won when I unsuspectingly fertilized the bed and over the course of the summer watched it grow to ridiculous heights and almost kill a rhododendron bush. In year two, my daughter and I attacked it feverishly at the start of the summer and pulled it all out, only for it to return 3 weeks later. I then spent the rest of the summer spraying buds every 2 weeks, just to keep it at bay. I would call that year a draw.

Last year, I had a strategy - pull it out again, cover the entire ground with landscape fabric, then cover that with 3 inches of rock mulch. I figured that this strategy would only allow it to grow in one of two directions - the inhospitable ground under my lilac bush, where there is hardly any light, or out into the grass where it will be mowed down every week. The strategy was executed flawlessly. But! I underestimated the enemy. It pushed right through the barriers, and grew through the fabric and the rock (see picture above).

It occurs to me that there is a lesson to be learned from this plant. It could have chosen the easy path of sending its roots into the much-easier, non-landscape-fabric covered soil under the lilac, but there was not as much light there and it would not have been able to thrive. It chose the harder path of pushing through fabric and rock, but once done, it was rewarded with abundant sunshine and rain.

Right now, life feels like the chameleon plant buried under weights of rock and fabric. And the rocks weighing down are many. But with faith it is possible to thrive, just like the chameleon plant does. Pushing through this time of difficulty will lead to flourishing once we come out into the light.