I love the way God speaks to my heart through my babies and my…plants?
The sweet lady who built and lived in our house before us, planted the most beautiful purple flowers in the front yard flower bed.
A few months after moving in, after the dust had settled and the boxes were (mostly) unpacked, I walked outside on a gloomy, “blah” kind of day to check the mail and noticed that the purple flower plant had lost its blooms. They were scattered all around, withering on the ground.
I was so sad.
At the time I had been placed on bedrest at 27-ish weeks pregnant, my husband was away at the police academy for the next 12 weeks, and I was at home trying to keep the plates in the air spinning and the plates in the sink washed.
I was in survival mode, to say the least, but giving it a good old-fashioned college try at keeping our then 15-month-old entertained, making sure he always felt seen and loved. I felt as if the chaos of my pregnancy and his daddy being away was taking from the attention he was accustomed to getting.
My hormones were on the fritz and now my flowers were dead.
I rolled my eyes and went back inside to go through the motions until bedtime.
The next morning I was approximately all-the-way late for my doctor’s appointment and wrestling my precious, amazing, STRONG toddler into his car seat.
By the time I got into the driver’s seat I was sweating, we were both crying, and oh yeah, I spilled my coffee on my white shirt, but I didn’t have time to care.
As I was backing out of our driveway, I happened to look up and notice the purple flower plant. The blooms! They were back!
I sat there for a second, I furrowed my brow and thought to myself, “Now, I know I saw those blooms on the ground yesterday! Whatever.” Like I said, I didn’t have time.
Later that afternoon, me and the circus came dragging back to the house after what felt like a day at war. I’ll spare you the gory details. Let’s just say, the best of me was barely breathing.
I was so tired and still had what felt like so much day ahead of me. I just wanted to enjoy it, but the exhaustion and the to-do list, and the soggy air around me felt so heavy.
My toddler ran ahead of me to the door while I grabbed the last of the groceries. Purple blooms on the ground caught my eye.
“What in the world?” the girl in my head said in confusion. I knew I wasn’t crazy, er... I knew those flowers had been on the ground!
But, dinner wasn’t going to cook itself! Not another thought was given.
The next morning I was approximately all-the-way late for yet another doctor’s appointment and wrestling my sweet, perfect, beast of a toddler into his car seat.
The sweating. The crying.
As if someone had hit the repeat button.
I glanced back to make sure I had shut the garage behind me, and I saw them. The flowers were back…again!
Just then, almost as if He was sitting in the bucket seat behind me, I felt a familiar knock at my heart’s door. “Didn’t I tell you? Just like those blooms, my mercies are new every day.”
Suddenly it didn’t feel so heavy. My lungs breathed a breath that swelled all the way to the bottom for the first time in a long time. My shoulders rested as the weight of a cross I had been so foolishly carrying on my own was lifted.
So, let this be your encouragement today, a reminder that His yolk is easy, and His burden is light. Cast your cares upon Jesus and watch for mercy blooming right before your eyes.
