There are lots of beautiful things on planet earth, plants being one of them. They are wonderful testament to the Ultimate creative mastermind that is God.
When I was little, we lived in a house that had a front garden which my father meticulously took care of. It had primarily rose plants, but there were a few others.
I can vividly remember the different colored roses, with their branches hanging onto the front porch. There we sat, many nights, munching on whatever was available. From boiled unshelled peanuts, roasted corn to agidi-eko with milk (Don’t knock it until you try it).
And I can’t forget the thorns on the roses. I got pricked a lot. It made me question early on the phrase, ‘life is not a bed of roses’, because having the roses and the thorns would best depict life, until I understood the bed meant roses that have already been picked.
Maybe that garden was where I developed my love for beautiful plants.
So when I passed by a beautiful plant the other day, its beauty and the fact that it was small and cute drew me in, and I couldn’t help but stop to take a picture.
But as I took pictures of the plant, I noticed, that it was the only plant blooming in that vicinity. The other plants around it, were as good as dead.
One striking thing we know about plants, is that many of them do not look the same in different seasons.
I liken humans to plants. We have all been planted here on earth, and like plants we are exposed to the different seasons of life. At every season, we might not look the same, but as long as we remain planted, we will survive.
Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1, best describes this…”To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”
Anyway, I got 3 personal lessons from that sole blooming plant, that I would like to share here.
#1. Like it is said in Ecclesiastics, …Everything has a time and season…
Now this beautiful plant was blooming in its season, and it definitely had the right to do so.
That the others season for bloom had not arrived, would not and should not stop this little beautiful plant from blooming, because when the others start to bloom, the now blooming plant may not be in its season of bloom anymore.
Like the plants, we all have our seasons.
Having this knowledge, it would be disastrous to write off a person or deal with people only based on what they look like in their current season.
#2. There are certain plants, that when its seeds are planted, it takes a while to show any sign of life. It would almost seem like nothing is happening, but all the while, it is gaining deeper root.
I can imagine the person who planted the seed, coming around everyday to check on it, and seeing no signs of life yet.
Let us assume that He/she may actually know that it will take time, because logically, you are supposed to have some form of knowledge about what you plant, but that may not necessarily stop them from getting worried sometimes.
It is not unbelief. It is our human nature that God very well understands.
Jesus at the Mount of Olives, knew the task before him. As God, He was in the plans the Creator had to redeem His children back to him. But that did not stop Him from crying out to the father, when it was almost time.
It is said in the bible, that His sweat were like drops of blood, a medical condition known as Hematidrosis which occurs when someone is under extreme stress and anxiety. Jesus told the father in that situation, If you are willing, take this cup from me…
God the father understood, and sent his angel to strengthen him.
In the waiting, there are times when our strength will fail us, even though we are aware of the promises and the glory that awaits. God is an understanding father. He sees and knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. All we need to do, is cry to him, and he will strengthen us.
When you prayed every prayer that you know how to pray, all you need say is Father, Help me!
#3. The blooming plant in its season, cannot say, because the others are not yet in season, so it would not bloom.
That would be foolishness on its part.
Do not dim your light. Let it shine in your season. Instead you can use your light to show others the way, i.e be of help to others.
This are the lessons I drew from that sole beautiful plant
P.s: I actually wrote the draft for this post sometime ago, but I did not post it. There is an update on our blooming plant. It has since stopped blooming, and guess what, the others around have bloomed.
Yay!
