Flowering Reminders

These flowers appeared to be smiling at me this morning, reminding me of their beauty and God‘s provision through every season. During a recent heavy storm, they were bent over outside and would have withered if I had not cut them off, brought them inside and placed them in fresh water. These blooms had surprised me, having emerged from a somewhat forgotten and neglected pot sitting out in front dormant through the harsh winter and often covered in snow, pelted with hail, and blown across the porch at times. I had no idea this flowering plant would survive the harsh winter.

A year ago, this blooming plant had started as a seed packet picked up at the local dollar store. The seeds had been scattered in a pot, hoping to become something to watch grow and enjoy in my apartment’s tiny little front porch space. I had no idea what would grow as they had a very rough start; with the seeds blown about in the wind, the heavy rains readjusted their soil beds, and the sneaky squirrels who would frequent each pot, burying and digging up their prized nuts. Despite all this upheaval and tumultuous start, these seeds emerged and provided a season of beautiful surprises last year.

As I prepared each pot to sit or hang in my front area this year, I was surprised and delighted to see green life above the tough, wintered soil. Some plants that grew from seeds last year survived this harsh winter and popped up eager to show off new blooms and color.  I remembered enjoying an array of flowers just last year, surprised by each bloom from the mystery seed packets. Then, as the fall and winter came, they died back, ending their season. But much to my surprise, these daisies had survived the winter, their roots growing and thriving beneath the surface, appearing all for lost above ground but popping through in the spring at the appropriate time and season.

For me, this season of growth is not unlike that of these delicate yet sturdy flowers that have emerged after a long winter and are now eager and ready for new growth.  

Much like our resilience in the seasons of life, God provides the seed of our existence, nurtures us through the storms of life, and provides time for us to hunker down under the soil away from the elements protected during the harsh winters of our lives. And then, in the spring, new life and new experiences emerge and break through the soil, displaying an array of surprising and incredible beauty. And even as these beautiful blooms reach the skies, soak in the sunshine and drink new water. They’re still not free from the elements around them, but the time they emerge, they remind me of my life’s seasons.

As a widow in this fourth spring season, I feel like these daisies, ready to emerge and stretch my limbs up towards the sun and welcome the beauty of this season in my life. I understand more and more how the blossoms of my life may get tossed and bent over but I that am never forgotten. And that I must dig deep into the nutrient soil of the winters where God protects and prepares me for the next season. The value and importance of each season is so essential for my continued growth and survival as well as my desire and ability to live a life of meaning and beauty regardless of the winter I have experienced.  I believe the roots of my journey, as it were, are growing deeper and stronger with each passing season. I know I can depend entirely on my creator, who developed me from a tiny seed to the flowering life I am today. I am grateful, blessed and eager to witness the blooms of this new season.

I am also reminded that sometimes, things in my life, like spent blossoms or broken stems, need to be cut back. When the storms of life knock them down, they need to be cut back and brought into a protected space so that their beauty can last just a bit longer in a protected space. Through the storms of life, sometimes God cuts things back in my life. He reminds me that I am in his care and protected.  I have become very aware of my need for him during these seasons. He placed me in the soil where he cares for me through each season; he cuts back when I need to be, protects me, and prepares the time, space, and place for me to emerge, grow, live, and bloom.

I pray that as you view beautiful blooms in this season, you’ll be reminded of the beauty that God has for you in your life. And when you bring a cutting into your home, or you find a blossom that is ready to be cut back that you’ll be reminded of God’s provision through all the seasons of your life.

(1)The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, (2) it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
Isaiah 35:1 NIV

May God bless you, encourage you, strengthen you, and protect you as you display the array of beauty that God has for you in this season.
Pati

Please share pictures of flowers you enjoy in this season along with your thoughts below or via email.