Late last summer a friend gave me a small different kind of geranium plant. Instead of the usual red petals making up the blossoms, these flowers had what looked like tiny red roses clustered together to make up the blossom.
I kept it and nurtured the small plant through the winter and spring in hopes it would live and blossom. It looked pretty spindly at the end of winter. But after the frost, I put it on the balcony where it gets several hours of sunlight. It grew into a lovely green plant but no buds or flowers. I kept watering it and fertilizing it. I almost gave up hope of having more than a nice large green plant.
Finally in the middle of June several small buds appeared. They aren’t large blossoms but they opened up to small, beautiful, red, rose-like clusters. The plant is now full of these lovely blossoms.
Their slow growth to blossom reminds me to be patient with myself. It teaches me that growth usually is slow to become permanent. Waiting is important.
Portions of Psalm 40 from The Message: by Eugene H. Peterson speak to me of the importance of waiting.
Psalm 40
“I waited and waited and waited for God
At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch.
Pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
To make sure I wouldn’t slip.
He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,
A praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this;
They enter the mystery,
Abandoning themselves to God.
Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
Turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing.”
Ignore what the world worships,
The world’s a huge stockpile
Of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one
Come close to you!
I start talking about you, telling what I know,
And quickly run out of words
Neither numbers nor words
Account for you.
Doing something for you, bringing something to you –
That’s not what you’re after.
Being religious, acting pious –
That’s not what you’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears
So I can listen…”
Thank you, Understanding God, for giving us beautiful new flowers that inspire us. They remind us that growth can be slow and that you are always supporting us in the process. Keep opening our ears to listen to you. Amen.
