Every day brings news that can be disheartening and challenging. We push through each day hoping the next one will be better or at least bring brighter news.
In the stillness and darkness of the early morning, I begin to face the current challenge head on, but I become distracted when my eyes land on something across the room.
One bloom sits on my Christmas cactus plant in beautiful perfection. One bloom.
My cactus plant has been a source of delight and wonder since it was given to me many years ago. Getting up from the couch and setting my reading down, I wandered over to examine my plant more closely. Not a single bud anywhere else on the plant to be found. All I would be getting this time was one perfect bloom.
One bloom was all it took to consume my thoughts and bring a few lessons:
- Bloom in and out of season. Most Christmas cactus plants bloom once a year in November or December. This one seems to bloom whenever it feels like it, thus it blooms more than once and sometimes, just the one bloom. Today it spoke to me how we are to to do the same thing – bloom and spread joy as needed. “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2, NASB).
- Bloom as God wills. Although the plant has a typical time to bloom, there are also times of unpredictable blooms. And so it is with our lives, we bloom and bear fruit as God wills and directs. “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that” (James 4:13-15, NASB).
- Blooms bring joy. Whenever my plant blooms, it always brings such joy and delight. “The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus It will blossom profusely, And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy” (Isaiah 35:1-2, NASB).
These blooms and this season that is springing open before us (yes, the pun was intended!) reminds us to trust God and Him alone. He is the One who has created all of nature.
He designed the rhythm of the seasons of this world and of our lives,
so that we bloom!
Last week Lois Flowers shared a beautiful post inspired by her lovely Christmas cactus plant. She shared this thought: “Joy comes in the morning. Maybe not tomorrow morning, but some morning down the road, it will come.” Read her entire post > HERE.
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What great lessons you drew from this bloom! One thing I love about this time of year is seeing new blossoms whenever I go outside. And what a unique joy to see an unexpected bloom. Blooming in and out of season reminds me that I shouldn’t wait for the most pleasing conditions: I need to “bloom” whenever and wherever God wants me to.
Sometimes we may bloom in the most unfavorable of conditions but then … the joy it brings. May we trust Him to bring the blooms as He wills.
Beautiful photo and piece about blooming! I’ve often heard, “Bloom where you’re planted.” And while that is true, you brought such fresh insight to this concept. I pray to trust God in rhythm of the seasons of life.
Karen, thank you for commenting as it reinforced for me that God knows the rhythms and the seasons of our lives. He is a God of time and timing. May we trust Him always.
To think it all began with a single bloom!!! Preach it!
It did, Susan. And may this encourage us to keep on – one seed at a time. xo
My Christmas cactus is also blooming now. They must be mixed up by this crazy year! Maybe they are St. Patty’s Day cacti. 🙂 Thanks for the wonderful reminder to bloom on God’s time, even if we may not understand why.
Laurie, I love that you called our plants St. Patty’s Day cacti 🙂 And you are so right – we may not understand the whys and whens of our blooming, but one thing we can be confident in is that He knows precisely how He is growing us.
Joanne, great thoughts that encouraged my day! We can learn so much from God’s creation, even one single bloom! Thank you!
Donna, I think I learn the most from God as He draws my attention to the world around me and then connects it to His Word. It has made both the beauty around me and His Word precious to my heart!
I loved Lois’s post as well. I feel like I’m doing anything but blooming right now. But you and Lois both encouraged me. Thank you.
Lauren, I am so grateful that both posts encouraged you. As I have thought on your comment I want to share that sometimes growth (or blooms) occur when we are quite unaware or not even expecting it. Even when we don’t see it, God is always at work in our lives and He will pull back the curtain one day and you will see all the beauty and blooms in your life!
God’s creation always seems to speak of His truths in some sweet way!
Joanne, I love the lessons you gleaned from your one beautiful bloom! We bloom and bear fruit as God directs, in or out of the expected season. Amen! And the joy that one bloom brings? Clearly, this post is all the evidence we need of that. 🙂 Thanks for linking to my post–it’s been fun to share this Christmas cactus connection with you!
I’ve heard that Christmas Cacti and poinsettias bloom depending on hours of daylight””which also applies to us. They have to experience a dark period and then sun before they bloom. Our blooms are so much brighter when we’ve gone through trials and darkness