ONLY THE LORD MAKES IT GROW

Hello, and happy Sunday. Today, we shall talk about , the one who really causes it to grow. I have observed things in nature bloom , all year long. Let us take the example of a flower – the hibiscus. The flower starts in the tight bud stage, then the mature bud stage, the pencil stage then follows, then the open stage, and finally, it opens and we see the flower.

Often times, we don’t notice any of the five stages except the final opening. This is very similar to what happens in our waiting or becoming seasons. We sit, in the discomfort of the wait. Because, I imagine how a flower looks in the third stage, there is seldom any beauty. It perhaps attracts no bees nor butterflies, a passer-by won’t even notice a budding flower. We feel over-looked and other times forgotten.

I really do not want to romanticize this process, but the truth is this is where we are formed. Our character, our mastery , our being and even our gratitude. Perhaps, the purpose of the process is that we shall never pride ourselves in being self-made. One of my favourite quotes by Elizabeth Eliot says ,’ God has promised to supply all our needs,what we don’t have now , we don’t need now. ‘

This is a reminder that, we are where we are supposed to be right now. The flower development stage that you are existing in right now, is your perfect stage. Your stage five will finally come, and I want and pray that we have it in our hearts that our bees or butterflies, will come in the season, even those will not pass us.

I am not saying that we should just wait, in complacency and ignorance, even in the now we must put in the work so that the Lord will make it grow. Even the leaves of our budding flowers are out there getting the light and processing the food, and so should we.

At the end , it will grow, because the Lord will make grow. Our anchor verse for the week is ;

I CORINTHIANS 3’6-8

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything , but only God , who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labour.

This verse remind us, that we only have one purpose, to plant. But on the growth, it is only the Lord who will make it grow. I pray that we plant with diligence , so that when the reward comes , it is a bountiful reward and all shall praise our Father in heaven. I hope that we are encouraged, to wait on the Lord even as He makes us bloom ever so beautifully in His time. Happy new week.