A few years ago, I bought some flowering bulbs as a gift for a friend’s birthday. I followed all the instructions that came with the kit--I planted them in potting soil, watered them, and placed the pot on a sunny windowsill. They were supposed to flower in six weeks. Well, they didn’t! I read online that heat might help force the plant to bloom, so a week before the birthday, I tried using a blow dryer to encourage the flowers to come out. Still nothing. I dumped the contents of the pot outside in my flower bed and surrendered my failed project to nature. I ended up buying another gift for my friend’s birthday that year.
Well, it took a while, but the flowers finally bloomed. It was exciting to see these flowers after waiting so long for them. But what was surprising is that they popped up the following year too--beautiful and wild--blooming in unexpected shades and spaces all over the back garden.
I remember these bulbs whenever I feel like a failure. Sometimes I can’t make things happen no matter how much I try. Pressure does not induce maturity. I can’t force growth--my own or that of others. And even if I have strong faith and pray diligently--I may not get what I want, when I want it.
Every situation that is surrendered to the Lord will bloom in due time. The Holy Spirit is uncontainable, wild, and beautiful--popping up in unpredictable shades and spaces. True transformation cannot be coerced--it is always dependent on the Spirit of God.
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