A Time to Bloom - A Devotional

A Time to Bloom

“There is a time for everything, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” - Ecclesiastes 3:2

Each year my mother and I wait for the garden nurseries to put out our must have flower of the summer. Wave petunias, or Supertunias, as they are often called.

You probably have some in your garden right now. I love how they sprawl out in the dirt, reaching their bright blooming arms in all directions. With some sun and rain, they will cover an entire bed with vibrant blossoms and continue to bloom all summer long.

I rushed out to buy about a dozen containers of them in various shades of pink, salmon, and white, might have even thrown in a red for good measure. I planted them in my front bed and watered them and waited for the magic to happen. Shortly after, I left for a trip. A good friend came over to water them. But when I returned, the pink ones looked happy, as gardeners like to say.

But the white ones in-between my Yews looked sad and shriveled up, without a blossom to show. Was it the soil? The sun? Not enough? Too much? I grabbed my shovel and moved them beside the ones that were thriving. By the next day, blooms were coming out.

Bottom line, they were planted in the wrong place.

I remember a job I had when I was around 20, working for a well known clothing company- selling menswear. When the store was empty of customers, I would hum quietly as I folded sweaters and straightened ties.

One day the manager, a somewhat stern man crept up behind me and said “You have to stop humming. Humming isn’t allowed in this store.”

I was equal parts embarrassed and crushed. Being a pleaser, I said “yes sir” and suppressed the tune that always seemed to be hovering in my throat.

It was as if all the joy had been sucked out of my soul, suppressing that instinct that I had been born for. It was only a short while after that I was offered a publishing and record deal. I gave notice and accepted.

I had planted myself in the wrong soil. I’m

glad God moved me. Have you ever felt like that? Do you feel like this now?

Don’t ever be afraid to express who you are. God planted you here to grow and blossom. Don’t let anything or anyone stand in the way of that.