Here's a little story I wrote last November:
I decided to plant some tulip and daffodil bulbs the other day. It will be a miracle if they actually come up. First of all, they were 50% off at Lowe’s so who knows if they’re very good quality. Then, the soil they went in was very rocky and not the best. And my mom said that I should get some “bone meal” stuff to put in with the bulbs, but she said if I couldn’t get any not to worry, it’d be better to go ahead and plant before the ground froze. (I didn’t get the stuff.)
As I was digging and planting I was thinking that this is kind of like my life sometimes. I want to do great things and reach people for Christ, and I can definitely see the benefits for me and obviously others. But I think I need to get all my ducks in a row first, get all organized before I step out and actually do anything. But I think that sometimes God just wants us to go ahead and step out. There’s no way I’ll have tulips without planting the bulbs. And maybe if we just plant a seed in someone’s life, he can take our rocky soil, flaws and all, and work a miracle. Because miracles are what God does. We are nothing, we are full of imperfections, but God uses people that surrender what little they have to him, to use as he wishes. And he just might turn that 50% off bulb into a new life.
I know that all the bulbs I planted will probably not come up. But I’ll be happy if even a few do. If I have even one pink tulip or daffodil next spring I will be thrilled. And my girls and I are going to love watching it grow. And if none come up, no big deal. I’ll try again. But I’m not going to be wishing all winter that I had planted them before it was too late. Instead I’ll be living with hope that I might have played a very small part in something great.
Fast forward 6 months to last spring. I did not have even one daffodil, but every single one of my tulip bulbs came up. But they turned out to be mostly red and white, not pink. Sometimes God surprises with something different, but still beautiful.
I decided to plant some tulip and daffodil bulbs the other day. It will be a miracle if they actually come up. First of all, they were 50% off at Lowe’s so who knows if they’re very good quality. Then, the soil they went in was very rocky and not the best. And my mom said that I should get some “bone meal” stuff to put in with the bulbs, but she said if I couldn’t get any not to worry, it’d be better to go ahead and plant before the ground froze. (I didn’t get the stuff.)
As I was digging and planting I was thinking that this is kind of like my life sometimes. I want to do great things and reach people for Christ, and I can definitely see the benefits for me and obviously others. But I think I need to get all my ducks in a row first, get all organized before I step out and actually do anything. But I think that sometimes God just wants us to go ahead and step out. There’s no way I’ll have tulips without planting the bulbs. And maybe if we just plant a seed in someone’s life, he can take our rocky soil, flaws and all, and work a miracle. Because miracles are what God does. We are nothing, we are full of imperfections, but God uses people that surrender what little they have to him, to use as he wishes. And he just might turn that 50% off bulb into a new life.
I know that all the bulbs I planted will probably not come up. But I’ll be happy if even a few do. If I have even one pink tulip or daffodil next spring I will be thrilled. And my girls and I are going to love watching it grow. And if none come up, no big deal. I’ll try again. But I’m not going to be wishing all winter that I had planted them before it was too late. Instead I’ll be living with hope that I might have played a very small part in something great.
Fast forward 6 months to last spring. I did not have even one daffodil, but every single one of my tulip bulbs came up. But they turned out to be mostly red and white, not pink. Sometimes God surprises with something different, but still beautiful.
A great analogy! I love it. So true. God does it all, we just have to obey what he's calling us to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! Just when you think you are aiming for one thing, when you submit everything to God he usually has a different but better plan. (I'm always learning that one)
ReplyDelete