Watering Fake Flowers

Camille Mc Millan Rambharat

We have all seen them: bright, beautiful, and always in bloom, fake flowers. At a distance, they look perfect. They never wilt, never need sunlight, and never ask for care. Yet imagine someone faithfully watering them every day. What a strange sight! No matter how much water is poured, they will never grow, never change, never bear fruit. The effort is wasted because the object of our attention is incapable of receiving life.

This image can serve as a powerful metaphor for our lives, especially in the areas of self-care and relationships. God has entrusted us with the temple of our bodies and souls (1 Cor 6:19–20). To care for ourselves is not selfish; it is stewardship. Prayer, rest, healthy choices, and spiritual nourishment are like sunlight, soil, and water for a living garden. But too often, we invest our energy in fake flowers, habits or routines that look impressive but leave us spiritually and emotionally dry.

Constant busyness without purpose, appearances without depth, or even overextending ourselves in ways that deplete our joy, these are like watering plastic plants. The Lord invites us instead to drink from “living water” (Jn 4:14). Real self-care flows from Him, who restores us not with appearances, but with grace that transforms from within.

In relationships, too, the metaphor applies. Sometimes we give and give to connections that cannot or will not reciprocate, no matter how hard we try. We pour out love, time, and energy into people who are emotionally unavailable, toxic, or unwilling to nurture mutual growth. Like fake flowers, they may look appealing, but they cannot receive or return what is offered.

This is not a call to withhold mercy or compassion, for Christ calls us to love even our enemies (Mt 5:44). But love is not the same as pouring ourselves out until we are empty. Healthy, God-centered relationships should bear fruit: joy, patience, kindness, and peace (Gal 5:22–23). If all we see is withering within ourselves, it may be time to ask if we are watering what cannot grow.

The good news is that God never wastes what we give when it is offered with a sincere heart. Yet He also teaches us to discern. Jesus Himself withdrew to pray (Lk 5:16), showing us that even the most compassionate love requires balance. When we stop watering fake flowers, we free our energy for what is alive, our faith, our true callings, and relationships where Christ’s love can flourish.

Fake flowers may decorate a room, but they cannot sustain life. In the same way, appearances and empty pursuits cannot nourish the soul. As Catholics, we are called to tend real gardens, our spiritual lives and relationships rooted in Christ. Let us examine where we are pouring our energy. Are we investing in what is alive and life-giving, or are we watering what can never grow? The invitation is clear: turn to the Living Water, and let Him guide your care for yourself, and for those relationships that truly bear fruit in love.

“Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are,” Pope Francis.