“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”
Luke 12:27-28
Then one morning it appeared—a single red flower.
Several weeks prior, I was super excited when spring officially arrived and I decided I would start planting seedlings for my patio flowerbed in advance of the warmer weather. I bought a small greenhouse kit, buried my seeds, watered regularly and then within a few days, the sprouts began to emerge.
Success! I thought.
However, actual spring temperatures weren’t showing up in Chicago and I grew concerned once the sprouts were taller than the greenhouse lid.
Over the next few weeks I would work hard to keep them alive and growing indoors so that I could witness them bloom. I transferred them to a planter because the roots were growing out of the bottom of the starter tray, but then half of them died. Then I took them out in the cold to give them to a friend so that she could care for them while I went on vacation. When I got back they still didn’t look good so I bought Miracle Grow. To my disappointment, adding that didn’t result in a miracle flower. I kept it by the window for sunlight because the chilly temperatures in Chicago persisted but they were barely hanging on. Finally I gave up.
I took them outside and left them on the patio hoping that God could help them grow.
Every day I looked out the patio door and was surprised that they weren’t dying. Even through the crazy wind and chilly temperatures they were starting to grow so I didn’t touch them. Some leaves started to turn yellow but I didn’t touch them because the rest of them were still growing.
Then one morning I woke up expecting them to be dead because a hailstorm came though the city the day before, covering the planter with ice balls and leaving them limp and weak.
Instead, there it was! A single red flower showing off its beauty, which reminded me of what Jesus said in Luke 12.
“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.”
I was reminded that there are seasons when we get busy “doing” all kinds of things to help us grow such as attending conferences, reading a lot of books, and listening to sermons. Although those are really good ways to help us grow, sometimes there are seasons where the best way to grow is to simply spend a lot of time sitting in the presence of our heavenly Father. There He can nurture, shelter, and feed us with his Word. Then when we bloom, He receives all the glory.
