Tripping Over Typeset

As a child, spring time meant blooming flowers and running barefoot.

When the first flower buds appeared I would watch in anticipation, waiting for them to open up. I could see the bud growing and colors emerging behind the sepals.  And I would wait.

But as a little girl, I wasn’t always patient and I would begin peeling back the sepals and pulling apart the bud. I was trying to help the flower bloom so I could see its beautiful colors. But it never seemed to work out the way I imagined.

There is a time for the flower to open up through growth and development. I was trying to bypass all that and get to the good stuff… all the bloom and beauty the bud could hold.

We can sometimes wish for this in our own lives. We like the sweet smell of the bloom and the beauty of the flower. We have our calling and we pursue our purpose. We want the beautiful bloom stage.  That stage when the hard work is over and all is sunshine. We want the “ooh’s and aah’s” over what we’ve become and we are in full bloom.

Whether it be in our careers, relationships or ministry…. We all want that good place. The place of blooming.  We have arrived on the scene and everyone can see all that we’ve become.

Of course, we aren’t going to admit that out loud because that would be prideful and sinful and all that seems ugly. But somewhere it’s down there inside of us.  We want people to admire what we have accomplished and say, “Look at her… now she has got it going on. She has done well.”

It’s in our nature and there is good in blooming.

God placed within us a desire to create, grow, live well and even bloom. We just sometimes get impatient and want the bloom before its designated time.

But did you know we can “Force the Bulb?” This is when one wants to have blooms through the winter season. The season when normally a bulb would be in a time of resting; a time of dormancy.  One can speed up the process to get the beauty of the bloom earlier.

Of course, there are many steps of maneuvering and manipulating to get the bulb to bloom early. One must give it a “false winter” where it is placed in a chilled environment (refrigerator, cooler) for a certain period of time but never as long as a natural winter. The bulbs are placed in potting soil and given special watering and storage treatment.

Through this special technique one will get an earlier bloom. The bulb will grow quickly and the flower will open with all its beauty. The bulb will get its day in the sunshine and people will “ooh and aah” over all that it has become in the midst of a normal winter.

When all the natural bulbs are still in the ground, this bulb will rise above and bloom even out of season.

This sounds like a good thing, yet there is a down side to forcing the bulb.

After the forced bloom fades and withers, the bulb is thrown out.

Forced bulbs use up all of their energy in that one bloom… during that false winter… and they will not bloom again.

For as much as we don’t like the waiting period— our place of winter where things seem to be dormant and nothing seems to be happening— Those times are important and life-giving to us. God has designed those times for us to grow.

In those quiet places of being hidden away, our souls are nourished and prepared for our upcoming season of growth and eventual place of blooming.

God has a season for all things. He has not neglected you or forgotten you.

Just like a little child trying to open the bud too early, we can get anxious for our time of blooming. We want things to happen sooner than what the Creator and Designer of our life has determined.

When I become anxious about tomorrow and I want something to happen before it’s time. I find security in these verses.

“He himself (God) gives life and breath to all people…. He decided exactly when they should live. And He decided exactly where they should live.” — Acts 17:25 (NIRV)

There is a time for everything. And in our rushing about and wondering if He even sees, I want to remind you, He does. He sees right where you are and what you are going through. He has not forgotten you or left you out of His timetable. No matter the season you are in, it is the season He has determined for this time and this place.

Trust the One who created you and knows all things. Don’t force the bulb or peel back the sepals, He will open up the bloom in perfect timing and you will see the beauty of who you were created to be.

Questions to consider:

• What season do you see yourself in now?
• In what areas of your life are you “forcing the bulb?”
• How are you feeding your soul through this season He has you in?
• How can we pray for you?

Jump right in and join the conversation below.

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