One cactus can teach us many things. During the hot summer days and throughout the rest of the year, remember to be like a cactus.
Be prickly
Most cacti have spines or prickly leaves. They can defend themselves but never intentionally hurt anybody. Unlike cacti, do not be prickly in a literal, physical sense but in emotions. Be tough, firm, and resilient.
Show beauty
Cacti might not have the loveliest flowers compared to other flowering plants, but they still show their simple beauty. For example, prickly pear have flowers boasting vibrant hues that eventually develop into fruit.
Stand tall, even with imperfections
Having crooked arms do not stop cacti from standing tall anyway. A saguaro cactus, found mostly in Arizona, develops its arms throughout decades but never minds arms that look different and unique from the others. They do not wither in the desert sun.
Scars can stay with cacti for the rest of their lives, but they keep growing, living, and thriving, regardless of disfiguring or damage.
Be a haven for others
A cactus is a safe haven for many animals, including burrowing birds, insects, and lizards. This haven provides shelter from the sun, conflagrant heat, predators, and dropping nighttime temperatures. The cactus might not always have benefits in return, but it occasionally does. According to the Desert Botanical Garden, Gila woodpeckers bore into saguaro cacti to construct nests. To “pay rent,” the woodpeckers will eat insects that would otherwise infest the cactus. Liberty Wildlife refers to this friendship as a “mutualistic relationship.”
Being a safe haven for our friends could include supporting emotionally, advocating for, and standing up for them. They will learn that you are reliable, dependable, and trustworthy; which are godly traits that will in turn benefit you.
Retain water in the desert
Etching out a living in a dry wilderness is hard, yet many cacti do it. Plan ahead, and you will not die or shrivel in the drought of hard times. Even worrying for a short dry spell will seem unreasonable. For me, dry spells are times of patient waiting and diligent working with little noticeable reward or major events or results. But when the desert storm brings rain, I am ready to absorb and adapt to busyness and store up that happiness of rewards to remember in the future and encourage me to keep striving on.
For further reading about cacti (sources):
All About Birds (Gila woodpecker)