I was walking past my entry table for probably the hundredth time today when I noticed that all of the peonies in the bunch I had purchased at the store where opening at different rates.
Some were all big and fluffy, in full bloom. While others were only half-way open.
Then there was this one, still closed tightly.
I studied it for awhile, wondering why it wasn’t opening at the same rate as the others.
It reminded me of all of the quotes I’ve ever read about blooming and blossoming and how every one of them places emphasis on being open. There’s the suggestion that only when we are fully blooming will we have fully arrived.
And I realized that I don’t think I have ever read a quote about the beauty of the closed bud.
I think that’s such a shame.
Have you ever noticed on social media how often we are shown a dramatic ‘Before’ and ‘After’? The emphasis is always on how vastly someone improved on a room in their home or their haircut or their makeup technique. And yet, with so much focus on the ‘after’ perhaps we are missing out on the opportunity to see any of the beauty that was there in the ‘before’.
You see, I think that there is sweetness in that blossom that hasn’t opened yet, even when all of the others around it have. If you look closely you can see so many details and nuances. You can see colors in that bud that you no longer see once it’s fully opened.
That bloom is going at its own pace. It’s in no hurry to catch up to the others.
But we don’t do that, do we? We find ourselves looking around at all of those people who seem to be in full bloom in their lives, whose dreams are coming true or who seem to have it all together.
And we wonder why we aren’t blooming as quickly as they are.
But that little peony bloom in the pitcher on my entry table wasn’t wondering that. It wasn’t droopy or hanging its head in shame. It was strong and upright and holding its own among the other flowers.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
I love that in this verse there is emphasis on something being made beautiful in ‘its’ time. Not sooner, not later, just when it is the exact right time for whatever ‘it’ is to be made beautiful. In our humanness, we want to hurry this process along. The grandeur of those big, fluffy blooms can seem to outshine the ones that are still closed up.
But friends, we need to remember that there is so much beauty in the seasons of waiting. Don’t wish this time away. Savor it, ponder it, rest in it. There is so much to be learned from the details and the nuances.
Can you trust that you will be fully open at the exact right moment for YOU?
It’s hard, I know. Believe me, I know.
But at this point in my life, I have experienced what happens when I wait to be made beautiful in MY time. Or, more accurately, being made beautiful in the Lord’s time.
And, I promise you that it’s worth the wait!
Are you struggling with this at all right now in your life? Would you consider sharing some of your journey with me and the rest of the At the Picket Fence community?
It’s always nice to know that we aren’t alone in our journey.
I hope you know how blessed I feel that you decided to meet me at the Fence today,
Thank you for this lovely reminder. I’m 53 years old and I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I “grow up”. I need to remind myself that I am exactly where the Good Lord wants me to be. Thanks to your post, I now realize that it might not be my time to bloom and that I should just enjoy this very special place in time in my life. God is good and will allow me to bloom when he is ready. Thanks again!
Thank you Michele! I find it so hard to stop spinning my wheels trying to figure out what/who I’m supposed to be and instead just ‘be’…right where I am and right where God has me. Praying for you in this season of your life!
I’m not sure why, but the last three or four blog posts you have made I get an email like always, but when I click on the “read the whole post” nothing happens. I have tried to open it on my phone, ipad and computer, but no luck. In order to read it I have to log into the blog. Just wondering if there’s an issue on my end or yours. I do enjoy receiving your posts-they are always such an encouragement. I can very definitely relate to Michele’s post as well-thank you for your insight in this post.
Hi Lynn! Thank you SO much for letting me know about the email issue. We switched to a new provider and have had a few glitches. I will definitely be looking into that and really do appreciate you telling us. 🙂
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Vanessa. So many seasons of waiting in my life…but wouldn’t have it any other way than His best.
Thank you Leslie! Praying for you in your seasons of waiting. <3
I see that you haven’t received very many comments…but that doesn’t mean that you haven’t struck a cord. I saw this post the other day and it made tears come to my eyes. Reading it again, it brings the same reaction. I thought of answering, but wondered what to say, without saying too much. Life circumstances have thrust me into a role of support and care-giver for several sick family members with cancer, back-to-back. (Two passed, and one recovered.) Also, I have been a support for my daughter, and devoted to my grandchildren as their frequent caregiver/babysitter. These roles are not without huge blessings, but they do not satisfy my artistic appetite. Or provide a paycheck! Sometimes I feel permanently cast in the role of “Martha.” And yes, it does seem like all the other flowers are blooming bright around me. Thanks for your encouraging post!
I love this article, and shared it. Sometimes we do feel we’re failing, and that our dreams will never arrive. But God has a purpose in all of it, good and bad. We are His continual work, He hand picked each one who knows Him to demonstrate His goodness and mercy. Even when we don’t see it ourselves, we shine as lights in a dark and fallen world. And we have our hope in Him.