“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”
James 1:3
Aren’t these crocuses breathtaking?
You’d never know that they are defying a lot of odds in order to look this good.
Prairie crocuses are among the very first plants to grow in these parts. In fact, they often push through snow to poke their pretty little purple faces to the sky. These beauties I found were growing on a steep hill, in poor gravelly soil, in a spot as dry as desert.
They are tough, y’all.
And if that isn’t enough, the forecast says snow…
Snow.
But these bad boys are used to rotten conditions. They seem to thrive on them, in fact. A little snow won’t bother them.
They’ll just wrap themselves in their furry little foliage and wait it out. They won’t give up. They won’t pout. They won’t rethink their game plan.
This is the game plan.
They’ll just keep blooming…
How about you?
When things feel uncomfortable, do you grumble? Or bloom?
When things get rough, do you point fingers and cast blame, or do you bloom?
When your emotions are stretched, your finances pinched, your reputation laid on the altar, do you whine or squirm or scream or shut down – or do you bloom?
Sigh.
I wish I could say I always rise above what fights to pin me down, but I can’t. I’m often the traitor that brings me down in the first place.
Ouch.
But –
Don’t you want to be a picture of pretty perseverance? Don’t you want to be one of those people who brings a smile to someone’s face because you are blooming where you were planted?
Yeah. Me, too.
I think it starts with the attitude – the expectation that trouble is coming but can’t snow you in because of Who has your back. The mental stance that nothing can snatch you away from the deep, high, and wide love of God. The unshakable belief that the tough stuff is just serving to make you more and more and more beautiful…
It’s not always fun. It hurts sometimes. It’s uncomfortable and feels like fingernails on a chalkboard to the soul, to be tested and tried.
I know. Oh boy, do I know.
But you have a choice. You can choose to bloom – even in the desert. Even in a snowstorm. Even in conditions where nothing else can survive, let alone thrive.
But with God on your side, who can stop you from blooming?
Only you.
Choose to continue to bloom – even in the tough places – with me?
Father, thank You for designing the crocuses! They remind us that it is possible to grow and thrive and bloom even under adverse circumstances. They remind us that pressing on in faith develops astonishing beauty. Give us courage to bloom today! Amen.
Growing in Grace 