“It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the excellency of (Mount) Carmel and (the plain) of Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty and splendor and excellency of our God.
Isaiah 35:2
(amplified bible)
One of the first things that caught my attention this morning was a plant that I have sitting out on my back porch. The thing that surprised me was the big bright pink bloom that was hanging on it. Now mind you, we happen to be in the winter season and it is very cold outside.
I believe that the Lord wanted to speak to me about the “coldness” in my own heart. You see, I have been hurt, and I am angry. It seems as if my first instinct is to close off my heart in an attempt to lessen the pain. I recognize and feel the “coldness” of disappointment as it begins to roam around inside of my heart, looking for a place to settle itself. I can also feel the “burning” of anger as it seeks to consume more and more of me. It seems to be screaming “An eye for an eye” as it continues on in its quest to find more and more fuel to burn.
In the midst of all of these conflicting feelings that I am experiencing on the inside of me, the Lord decides to get my attention by showing me a beautiful pink blooming flower. In spite of how silly that may sound, I seem to be hearing Him say to me that He understands how I am feeling inside. To me it is as if He is reassuring me that He knows and understands that I am fighting against this “winter” season that is going on inside of me as much as this little plant is fighting against its own “winter” season on the outside. It is almost as if I can hear Him saying that He just wants me to continue to bloom, and that He will take care of the rest.
Is that possible? Can I continue to “bloom” with the things that He has placed inside of my heart, despite the “coldness” of the situation around me and the harshness of what I am feeling on the inside of me? I don’t know, but I know that I will try. I will try to trust the Lord yet once again, because I can feel the warmth of His love and the comfort of His understanding. I can feel the strength in Him as He directs me to continue on in my season of blooming. I can hear the truth inside of me that says that nobody or nothing can ever stop what it is that He is doing, or what it is that He has planned. No body and nothing. Not ever.
Everything inside of me wants to be like that little plant that I have outside. I want to continue to bloom in spite of whatever it is that happens to be surrounding me right now. I want to choose to let the Lord have His way in my life, and to continue to ask Him to have His way in the lives of those around me. I even want to be the one to “startle” those around me who would expect to see a different response from me right now.
What “season” is it that you find your self in right now? Are there things in your life that are making it hard, or even seemingly impossible, for you to bloom? If so, then I want to encourage you. There is nothing that I have on my own to encourage you with. The only thing that I have is the Lord, but it is He that is everything. It is He that is my encouragement. It is He that is my strength. He is my Savior, and my Defender. He is my safety, my shelter and my hope. It is He that “covers” me so that I can do what He has called me to do. He knows that there is a “roaring lion” out there that would love to destroy me… or you. It is only the Lord that protects us and causes us to grow in the midst of our enemies.
I want to thank you Lord Jesus, for being you. Thank you that it is you that shows us the way, even when, and especially when, it is the very hardest. Thank you that you are so creative, and that your ways of speaking to us are endless. Thank you that you love us, and that you also understand us. Thank you that it is your desire to help us to “bloom”, in the very midst of the starkest of our situations. Thank you that you give us the direction and the strength that we need, in order to do this. In your very precious and very powerful name we pray, Amen.
Written by Beverley A. Napier
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