Don’t Worry, Bloom!
“Why are you anxious about what you’ll wear? Consider the lilies. See how they grow. They don’t struggle or toil to be that beautiful … yet they are more lovely than royalty. If that’s how God takes care of the flowers, will he take care of you —you of little faith? So do not worry. Seek His Kingdom first.” ~ Jesus (to those listening on the mountainside) as told by Matthew, His Disciple.
Last night, TheFarmer (aka Hubs) finished putting in the carrots with the help of Emme. We live in a small city, but as they say “you can take the farmer off the land…” (do they say that?) and for the last almost 10 years, #gardening has been a big part of life during the Spring, Summer and Fall here at our little urban homestead.
There’s weeding and hoeing and planting and watering. Carrots. Potatoes. Beans. Corn. Tomatoes. Peppers. Cucumbers. Our strawberry patch and apple trees are blooming white. Raspberries will set on soon. Purple petunias everywhere. Bleeding hearts blossoming. Peonies taking their time. Oh, and dandelions! (I love them. TheFarmer despises them!)
We planted this year, in this place we love, we call home, not a home of dreams, but a home we’ve made, together as a family. Nine months ago we thought we wouldn’t put the garden in. We thought we’d have a For Sale sign in our yard and be one the move, forward with a big transition from our little homestead in the city to the country life, close to where Hubs works right now, close to his family, with room to grow more, and work together, no longer needing Hubs to be away so much. Stuff of dreams for sure… almost too much of a dream. Dare I say it would be stuff of miracles if it worked out, but who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen. We’ve waited. We’ve trusted. We’ve done our research, our parts.
But as we’ve discovered over the years, God’s Timing is His Own. We’ve done our part to move forward on this possibility. But it is taking time and if there’s something this Momma struggles with is blooming where she’s planted instead of worrying about things like… hey, where will the kiddos go to school? Will we get the money we should out of our house if we don’t sell in the Spring? What happens if this plan falls through, if doors close? What will we do? Will we find a faith community as beloved as ours here? Will my kids make friends easily? Can we really afford this? What? Where? How?
Those questions. That worry. That’s not blooming. That’s not letting God clothe us with His Peace and Grace as we wait. God’s time is His Own, and just like our little homestead, all planted, ready to bloom, it takes time for the seeds to germinate, to sprigs of green, to blossoms, to fruit. Time, and care, not worry and stress.
So I’ll bloom here for as long as I am here. We’ll be okay, trusting God for tomorrow and whatever comes. We’ll wait and watch for our little plants to grow. We’ll water and weed, and hopefully reap some of the harvest, knowing God has us here, right now, for His Timing is His Own.
So I’ll be over here, blooming. Or trying to.