“The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come.”
Song of Solomon 2:12
Beautiful flowers with sweet smells are usually enjoyed by everyone. However, there are a few exceptions and the water hyacinth is one. It’s true that it has a cluster of beautiful lavender flowers growing on a strong stem with green, curly leaves, but this beauty is the cause of a big problem.
Originally a native of South America, travelers found the water hyacinth so attractive that many carried plants back to their homes in countries all over the world. They could easily carry it since it is a floating plant and its roots need no soil. No doubt they were extremely pleased to see how quickly the plants multiplied in their garden pools . . . until they discovered they had a real problem on their hands.
The water hyacinth grows and multiplies so quickly that it soon takes over a garden pool, choking out other water plants. Just ten of these plants will, in less than a year, multiply into thousands, until the surface of the water is completely covered. And if the pool is connected to a stream, some of the hyacinths will drift into the stream and start new groupings along the way, with some drifting on into a lake. If not soon destroyed, even a large lake can become completed covered, so that a boat cannot get through. Then these plants have to be pulled out and hauled away at great cost.
In spite of this problem, the plant does have a benefit that interests certain industries. The roots of water hyacinths live on the impurities in water - impurities like chemicals and other harmful matter that dissolve in water and make it unfit for drinking or for use in swimming pools or in manufacturing. When this bad water reaches the plants, the impurities are taken out by the plants’ roots. This saves some of the expense of getting rid of the impurities some other way. However, removing the plants costs lots of money too, for workers have to continually go into these pools or lakes on rafts or boats to thin them out. But still the hyacinths and their problems are less costly than other water-purifying methods.
These lovely looking plants which can cause so much trouble make us think of bad habits that at first may seem harmless, but which can lead to serious trouble if they are not stopped. A Bible verse tells us, “Happy is the man that feareth [honors the Lord] always: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 28:14). The Lord Jesus wants us to confess our sins to Him right away, and when we sincerely do this and trust in Him, He will forgive us. Be sure to remember this.
ML-08/17/2003