Hand Picked

When I was a little girl, I used to love to pick flowers-- all kinds.  They were pretty and I wanted them-- to give to Mama, Granny, even my Daddy sometimes.  In fact, I still choose a few wildflowers once in awhile to add a little color to my space.  I pick them and have always picked them with pleasure and with purpose.
Fast forward to my daughter; she is not much different than her mama.  Since she was tiny, she has picked flowers for us and brings them, eyes twinkling, bestowing them hopefully upon a happy receiver.  But oh, how disappointed she is when they are haphazardly strewn aside in her notice! "Mama, you didn't even care about the flowers I brought," she'll say.  I cringe each time, thinking how I have not been an example of thankfulness to her, how I have made my little flower wilt without the water of my delight.  And now those blossoms, so purposely picked will be wasted.

I can't help but think how flowers are a picture of us, as Christians.  Each lovely bloom different in appearance and fragrance, planted in varying fields and gardens for different purposes and plans, then picked by God for specific needs, events, and blessings. 

A wedding is one of those events that is very specific to its key players.  Not one of the many weddings I've been blessed to attend has ever been the same-- no duplicate dresses, no copied playlist, no replicated menu, and the FLOWER arrangements are always different!
Now from what I know of wedding planning, I am quite sure that each bride very strategically picked these flowers.  Maybe by color, or season, or preference.  Maybe by price, or availability, or current trends.  I remember, for my own wedding, having very specific blossoms in mind and even NOT picking a certain type of flower after finding out that its strong fragrance might be offensive to my groom's very sensitive allergies.

Now, let's think of ourselves as God's flowers.  Though we did not choose the garden or field or forest where we were planted, the place we took root has a lot to do with how we've grown up.  We were planted with purpose. We may have had to fight against weeds, and creatures, and shadows to continue to grow, but that became part of our beauty.  Whether pruned and tenderly cared for or growing wild, we grew as the result of God's sunshine and rain in our lives.  
And now our  God hand-picks us for His specific purposes.  Each of us, by design, has a place where we belong, where we can give glory to the Great Gardener. We are all beautiful and serve a purpose, but we don't all fit every situation-- like those overly fragrant flowers I wanted for my wedding.  I had seen pictures.  They were gorgeous!  They would have been beautiful next to my red & yellow roses, but a miserable sneezing husband would not have made for a happy day; those flowers were simply not the right pick for us.  (Proverbs 19:21,Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28)

The same is probably true for that job you did not get, that house you thought you wanted, or the one who broke your heart.  But don't worry.  You won't wilt on the vine.  Your blooms will not be wasted on an unappreciative receiver.  Just wait for the Master Gardener.  He will pick you for the right occasion.  Meanwhile, grace to you as you soak up the sunshine of His love. (Psalm 4:6; Psalm 84:11)

LIFE gets in the WAY?

I really love this writing thing.  There have been seasons in my life when I thought, this is it! This is what I want to do and I am pretty sure I'm good at it.

BUT as we all know, life gets in the way.

WAIT...what? Really? 

If life gets in the way of LIFE, isn't that completely counterproductive?  Isn't writing my PASSION?  That thing that God planted in my heart? That thing that connects me to points and people in the world that I would never otherwise meet? 

 So today I asked myself, "Are you really gonna do this?  Really let another day go

by without writing a single word?"

Then the question comes to mind: why do we allow the stuff of life to get in the way of our passions?  I'm just guessing, but I am 90% sure that I am not the only one.  How many of us are walking through life like some kind of zombie, just making it from one day to the next?  We may have entered into our adult lives like hyped up puppies chasing our favorite kid, but now we're just living like the old hound dog on the porch, maybe a lazy tail-wag once in awhile when someone says our name.

WHAT HAPPENED TO US?

Why the sudden (or maybe gradual, hard to notice) loss in fervor?

Hmm.  Fear? Complacency? Loss? An enemy lurking around like a lion, looking for someone to devour?(1 Peter 5:8)  Sounds like he could be up to something.  A little scheming to get us off track perhaps?

I just WONDER what this world would be like if every single Christian got fired up and really started to pursue his or her God-given passion with everything they had.  OH MY GOODNESS! Wouldn't that be something?

What's sad is that so many of us have forgotten.  So many of us have let other "must-dos" get in our way.  AND SO MANY of us have given way to fear.  UGH! Why do we worry?  Why must we be weighed down by this human trait that no one taught us but we've been warned about so many times?

I'm calling you out today to "do what is right and do not give way to fear" (1 Peter 3:6).  Remember your godly passion or find it.  Do SOMETHING today in pursuit of that passion.  We only have one life, and for all we know, only one day.  Be vigilant in what God placed in your heart.  He was not just kidding around when he gave you your talents.

Think of it this way...

How will you make an impact if you never take a swing?  

The dollar that is never put to work never earns a dime.  Your talent can collect dust in your pocket like the lazy, wicked servant in Matthew 25:26, or you can hear, "Well done." 

 Even if you fail... your work is not in vain.  there is NO BETTER CLASSROOM than the wake of your own failure.  Oh how many lessons of truth have I learned from my messes!  But maybe that's a conversation for next time.  See ya soon!

Tell me in the comments about your renewed fervor for your passion or tell me how you've learned a lesson from your failures.