Is it a coincidence that a post titled “Time to blossom” falls on the day that spring officially makes its appearance, at least according to the calendar?! I love to see the Holy Spirit in everything, so you know my thought here!
From my side of the world, minimum temperatures are still below zero though we have positive temperatures around midday. However, we know it won’t be long before all the snow melts and gives way to more and more greenery and all kinds of colorful flowers as spring sets in. But even before that, at this very moment, something is already happening underground, because the weather is changing and becoming more favorable for the growth and flowering of plants. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it is a process that begins when the seed is sown and ends when the flower dies. So, when you see the beautiful flowers blooming in the gardens, they have already come a long way in their lives!
Echoing Joelle’s last week’s post, I’ll share here a few lines I wrote in my Iphone notes three years ago and that I had shared with my small group of women of my church at that time:
As I was looking at my flowers, admiring their beauty and remembering how small they were when I first planted them, the Holy Spirit talked to me. These flowers have to do no effort to grow or get better everyday. They are planted in their natural environment and they just receive naturally what that environment has for them to grow. And the environment has everything they need to grow and get better everyday. Their role, so to speak, is just to receive and enjoy. Sometimes, the rain or the wind seem to be too strong for them, but they reveal to be strong as well, as they are still standing.
Like the flowers, if we are planted in our natural environment, which is God’s presence, we grow and become better everyday because in that environment, we find everything we need for that.
The bible says in Psalm 1:2-3 that “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all he does, he prospers”.
Likewise, Jesus says in John 15:5 : “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”.
God has everything we need. His presence is our natural environment in which we blossom and flourish. As mothers, grandmas or spouses, only in God’s presence shall we be filled with wisdom to fulfill our responsibilities in any role in our lives. In His presence we are equipped for anything He brings to us or lead us to. In His presence we are fed and receive care from Him, the good Father. In His presence we are filled with the love our loved ones need from us. In His presence we find the patience we need, the joy we can’t find in our circumstances, the peace which transcends all understanding. Also, like the flower, we can face adversity, but if our life is planted in God’s presence, we stand strong.
So, when you see men and women of God who are shining in their ministries, or simply christians who are growing and being successful, look at their prayer life. At the beginning, it can be hard and it’s uncomfortable, but discipline will help you get there. You can read a little more about that hard part and how to pass it through in this post.
Prayer: Father God, please grow in me an increasing love for your presence, that I may long for it and seek it more and more everyday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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