Surprise Blooms

 My dad has some purple irises in the backyard that we thought might have died a few years ago. Before that, without much thought on my part, they had come like clockwork every spring around Easter. And then, one year they didn’t. That one year turned into several years and we were afraid their blooming days were over. It seemed that their growth had stopped and that their flowers were on strike. And it seemed like maybe it was time to dig them up and plant something else. While we could see no evidence of anything happening with the once stunning flowers, it turned out that they weren’t quite done yet. They had more life to live and more beauty to give to the world around them. Hidden to the human eye, but nevertheless there, life was brimming underneath the soil. And one spring day several years after their last bloom, (or so we thought) my dad looked out the kitchen window with a smile and said, “The irises are back.”

I pondered these things and much more on a walk the other day. I looked up to see some wispy clouds in the distance and felt something stir within me. These words rose to the surface of my heart: Close your eyes and imagine what life would look like IF…

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as several images filled my heart.

The Lord whispered something that was somewhat surprising but also not in the least bit unexpected. He said, "I CAN DO MORE."

It struck me in that moment how He didn’t say, “I can do that-those things I had been thinking about seconds earlier.” But rather He said, “I can do more.”

I immediately thought of Ephesians 3:20 which says,

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is in work within us.”

The Message Version says it like this:

“God can do anything, you know-far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around, but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.”

I've come across this scripture several times lately and I don't believe that is by accident. I believe that God is trying to get me to see something more. I believe He wants that for you too, so let's dig a little deeper. The first truth that needs to be settled in our hearts is that God can do anything! We are quick to offer up those words to others but slow to believe them about the situations in our own lives. It is important that when we ask for things, we acknowledge WHO we are asking and WHAT He is capable of doing in those situations. 

The second truth is that God’s more might look different than ours. Ephesians never promises that God will do whatever we ask, but rather that He has the ability to do more than we can imagine. Placing our faith in Jesus means that we trust Him even when the outcome is different than we expected. God sees a much bigger picture and He knows what is ultimately going to bring about something good and something greater in our lives. So when He says He will do more, it doesn't necessarily mean that things are going to work out the way we think. It means that He is going to do more than we can see at that moment. God is going to multiply what we currently have in the present to make an eternal echo in the future. 

I don’t know what your empty flower bed looks like. I don’t know what you are waiting on or hoping for or what has stopped growing in your life. I don’t know where you are in the process of wanting to dig up dead plants, but I do know that God has more for you; that He is gently working within. Settle in your heart that He has the ability to do all things. Yes, ALL THINGS. And be open to the truth that God's more might look a little different than yours. When you are feeling like you don't matter remember that “God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He hasn’t overlooked you. He’s intimately acquainted with your entire being-your hopes, fears, and dreams” (Youversion Bible App). And He is working underneath the soil to bring about something more than you can see or imagine right now. Cultivate your garden. Water the seeds. And then wait expectantly by the kitchen window for a sign of life. You never know when a new season, full of surprise blooms is right around the corner. 

-Only Hope