Can we talk..?

Could you please indulge me today? Do you mind if we talk about my orchids again? (Missed the last orchid post? Click here.) A few days ago, it was time to water these beauties. As I nourished them, I gushed compliments of their beauty. I took a moment to look carefully at the details: the colors, the petals, the stems, the leaves, and the roots. I stepped back, took them in, and thought,

I didn’t pick the color – one of them has not budded, and I eagerly anticipate what color emerges. I didn’t pick the shape – one of my white ones has big beautiful petals reminiscent of butterfly wings. I have nothing to do with their beauty. All I did was partner with God in helping them bloom. I simply water them consistently.

If you recall, I almost threw my orchids away because they had not budded in well over a year. I stopped when God convicted me of discarding living beings. My urge to throw them away was born out of a lack of control. I could not control nor decide when my plants would bud. I was tired of watering them week after week without seeing any fruit of my labor. I wanted to throw them away because I could not gauge what was happening inside of them and if it was moving to fruition. So, I was happy to go back to what I knew. I was happy to return to my self-proclaimed office of “plant killer.” Afterall, plants came into my house to die.

But God challenged me on that; He said, “Are you going to throw away a living being because you have deemed it ineffective?” What do you say to that? I said, “no”. As I look back at that question, I realize He was challenging the false identity I had taken on. I had a choice at the moment. I could have said yes and thrown them in the garbage. But I decided to change the narrative and say no, I will not throw them away. Saying no marked a change in my identity. Changing my mind on throwing them away expelled me from the office of “plant killer” and installed me in the office of “life-nurturer”.

Peter did it. Remember? Peter returned to his old identity of fisher of fish, after Jesus’ cruxification and resurrection, rather than continuing in his identity as the fisher of men and rock on which the church would be built as the Lord Jesus had spoken over him. (John 21)

Burdening ourselves with the things that aren’t ours to control weighs us down; is a waste of time; and continues to steer us toward the wrong identity. If we follow His leading consistently, He has already determined how many flowers will bloom from buds; chosen the colors and shapes of the petals; and decided how we will bring joy and delight into our communities in our true identities. All we have to do is water our responsibilities consistently, and friends, the result is beautiful.

Join me in asking the Lord if there is something you were about to discard that He still wants you to nurture.

Until next week …

Miracles + Blessings!

Brenda

p.s. if you haven’t already, don’t forget to purchase your copy of Memorial Stones​

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