Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Heritage Petunias - Blooming Where You're Planted

There's so much we can learn in the garden. I am amazed at what Creation can tell us. God speaks to us through His creativity and there is a large world of discovery out there for us if we will take the time to watch and listen. All I need do is step outside my door each day. Although I do live more rural than most, I find that any time I am in the city having to wait in the car, or wait outside a building, I still find lessons abound around me.

We have a senior development going in nearby behind our property and the noise from the equipment and chain saws threatens my sanity. At some moments I get a tiny glimpse of how close that "edge" is that we can slip over in this world of many stressful circumstances. The edge that determines whether we remain in our homes, or travel to the big place with the men in white coats, while we're put in a suit that requires you to hug yourself.

Maybe it's not that our world has more stress. It could be that we're no longer built to deal with it. We've been told we can have it all "my way" so when things don't go our way, we don't have a good mental response to it. Our adrenals take daily irritating circumstances as if they were bison charging at us.

I know this project will take a long time to completion and when the leaves on the trees are gone back there, we will be getting more than noise since there will be no protection for all that dirt flying around. As I get up each day, I have to remind myself that life never was designed to go "my way." This world with all of its evil is one doomed to destruction before we have the true Heaven and Earth ruled by Jesus. However, if we have the Living Christ within us, we are built to deal with it. We are promised to surprise if we hold on to The Rock.

This morning I went on the deck to enjoy the Heritage Petunias that come back every year. They have such a wonderful scent that it takes my mind away to exotic places and rainforests. Since I have them in planters, the roots can't grow deep enough to get bushy like they will in the ground. They begin to look leggy so every week I cut some back. I don't like to do it because I'm cutting away buds and I get very close to my plants feeling like they are actual friends or children, so it's hard to just cut part of them off when they are flowering.

I know God doesn't like cutting away at us either as He allows circumstances to come into our lives that will allow us to grow looking a lot better than long and leggy. He prunes and shapes us so that we will be healthier and more beautiful as we reflect the glory of our Father. Just like these petunias do.

How we respond makes all the difference to our physical and mental health. I often heard the phrase, "Bloom where you're planted." I've never felt planted here in the community, but I've certainly been pruned and tossed in here for some reason.

The birds are God's gift to all of us and they sure make my days special here at Bluebird Cove. With many feeders and more and more plants producing seeds, we are blessed with birds all day long. Their songs remind me that no matter what is going on around them, you can still sing a sweet song.

The bug-eating birds are everywhere looking for a meal. I put some mealworms in the petunia pots, so they're always hopping around our deck looking for a surprise. This little guy has just discovered our turtle on the deck rail.

I keep a pot on the deck behind the glider, in which I put the trimmings. Randal comes around and gathers all my dead-head trimmings around the garden because even though dead-heading produces wonderful results and is so very beneficial to the plants, it is difficult, so he takes care of throwing them away. This community doesn't allow compost piles either, so we are limited to what we compost in some plastic containers that we keep behind bushes between the yard and the end of the screened porch. I'm grateful that he is willing to take that job so I don't have to see the plants go to the landfill.

I grabbed the pot to put some weekly clippings in and saw that Randal had not emptied it from the previous week. It had rained so there was some water on the bottom of it and the plants were still green six days later and some even continued to bloom. That is certainly a picture of "blooming where you are planted." I will have this visual image to remind myself that even though I feel like I've been tossed aside into this pot of Lake Monticello, I can bloom while I'm here. God will send some rain into the pot and allow me to survive if I want to, so I will continue to look for the good of every day.

You can do the same. Hang in there with me. You'll make it through the current circumstances and although it seems like one bad thing has happened after another, it's just a season of time in our lives. Winter brings many storms, but Spring brings refreshing rain and in time we will bloom again in Summer.

Remember that plants still grow in Winter. This is a time when they can sink their roots deep to find water in the midst of drought. We will make it through the bad times. Just sink your roots down where you're planted and find that Living Water that's available to us. Choose to trust in our Heavenly Papa through all circumstances and don't forget to bloom while you're in the pot.

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