I am looking across my back deck. The sunshine is illuminating the glorious pinks and lavender blooms bursting from my flower pots. One would think that as the days grow darker and the temperatures drop that their season would be over. However, the blossoms appear more abundant than during the warmer days of summer. Winter is approaching. Don’t they know it? How can they now display God’s creative streak more than when they should have been thriving and at their best?
And so, my own life arrives at this season. With advancing age, there are greater challenges in bearing fruit in my life. It would seem that the Holy Spirit would leave my ministry to those who are younger, quicker in body and thought, and more able to meet the challenges of the world we live in.
But the Spirit speaks to me and I discover myself blooming with greater power than I ever did when I was younger. Yes, the season is late but as I increasingly let go of what I used to think of as important, I find increased richness in seeing the Holy Spirit work in the lives of those I care for. The joy of being allowed to be part of this is breathtaking. Yes, it may be late in the season for me, but I am in full bloom. I agree with the psalmist: “The godly grow like a palm tree; they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the Lord’s house, they grow in the courts of our God. They bear fruit even when they are old; they are filled with vitality and have many leaves. So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector, is just and never unfair.” (Psalm 92:12-15).
Dear friend, are you blooming, regardless of the season? The Gardner beckons to you.
Awesome! I’ll be using my strength to continue fighting my battle.