Our one flower this summer

Just recently, our first potted flower bloomed.

For almost three months, we had been waiting. Every day, we inspected each pot for signs of color and growth.

Blooms take awhile.

This spring we planted four different flower pots. Within a week, little green shoots broke through the dirt to meet the sun, and we cheered! We wanted as many flowers as possible to brighten our walkway.

We waited, and waited and waited.

Growth was painfully slow. The plants in three of the pots had steady progress and leaves began to form. One pot had a few clover-like pokes, but never flourished. The flowers never showed.

My son took ownership of watering the plants and feeding the dog this summer, and one morning he raced into the house yelling for us all to come outside because something amazing had happened. We threw on our flip flops and followed him out to be greeted by one tiny, beautiful purple flower.

Whenever we invest ourselves in a project, or ministry, or person, we almost always have expectations. We want the reward of seeing success, that there was a reason we gave our time and energy. We often serve with strings attached. It’s frustrating when we give, and give, and give, and nothing happens. No change takes place. We don’t see what’s below the surface. We wait. And when the results never turn up or languish in the hot sun, we become disappointed and even disillusioned. We wonder why we even wasted our time.

As we have been waiting on the flowers to show up, God has also been giving me opportunities to wait on Him for growth. He is bringing me through circumstances where I am frustrated and tempted to bail. There are moments when I don’t like to exercise patience and frankly don’t want to learn the greater lesson. Yet, obedience is always more important than results. Because the results aren’t up to me anyway. God always has a purpose. He WILL make a way (even if it’s not my way).

So, I wait. I trust. I must let go of me in order to become more like Christ.

Whatever Jesus plants will always grow. And He has planted His seed of salvation in my heart. I am His. God promised me that He would finish what He started.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
– Philippians 1:6 (AMP)

One day, the flowers will bloom, if not in the pots in my yard, in the soil of my heart.