Thousand Gifts Thursday - Bloom Where You are Planted

Thousand Gift Thursday

Bloom Where You Are Planted

by Heather Royle

John 15:2

After a week out of town and the promise of neighbors to water our plants, Katelyn and I were busy tending to our container vegetable garden and container flowers.  We were deadheading the marigolds, zinnias and removing dead leaves that had dried in the intense Memphis heat.

As we were working quietly, Katelyn said, "Mommy, these plants look so much better and they probably feel better too."  As I often do, I begin to digest the wise words my eldest child was speaking.  Deadheading is just as important in our spiritual lives as it is to our plants.  According to an article on deadheading in the Daily Herald,

"By removing spent flowers and foliage...you reduce the chance of disease and attack by pests that find shelter in decomposing plant material.  If you have plants that spread by reseeding, you’ll find it much easier to cut off some dead flowers before the seeds ripen and scatter about the garden than it is to pull all of those unwanted seedlings next spring.  The best perk of deadheading is that many deadheaded perennials actually bloom again. With the promise of additional flowers, it gets harder to find an excuse not to deadhead."

How many times do we have a little habit that turns into a raging bad habit.  Once the bad habit is established it can interfere with our relationship with God and others?  If we deadhead, or remove that habit quickly we can reduce that chance of disease and attack and spreading of that little habit that can become sinful.  And how much easier is it to remove that small habit than when it takes hold and has produced seedlings with roots.

To bloom where we have been planted there has to be some care given as well as some severing that may be painful.  What a wonderful gift we have that the unhealthy parts of us can be removed and we  have the promise to bloom again and again.

Blessings,
Heather