Late Blooming?

Posted on by

This spring our flowering trees and shrubs are over a month ahead of schedule, and we’re loving it. As Louisa said today, “There are blooms in every color of the rainbow right now.” Other years have seen them blossom a month late, but whenever they come, we all get a lift.

Several of the yards in our neighborhood have bushes with a unique approach to blossoming. Although most flowering plants bloom on the previous year’s growth, the “flowering quince” reaches back the year before that, producing pretty red flowers on branch growth from 2 years ago. In other words, this summer’s 2012 growth won’t produce flowers until 2014.

This bush seems oddly programmed by the Creator, and sometimes God programs people in unusual ways, too. All of us have experienced periods of strong spiritual growth when we feel close to the Lord and are making great gains in our inner life. But at other times, we experience a dryness with no “blossoming” going on at all. It might be because we’re in a season of pain, or maybe it’s anger or rebellion against God. Blossoming is out of the question, and we might even feel like we’re dying from the roots up.

But during those seasons of non-productivity, God is quietly working on tiny, invisible buds of change, reaching back to prior periods of soul-growth the way the quince reaches back to bloom on a prior year’s growth. When we least expect it, an inner spring will begin, buds of improvement will blossom, and our relationship with the Lord will become as delightful as a neighborhood full of  rainbow-colored flowers, but the “colors” will be things like stability, love, strength, peace, truth, gratitude, joy.

The red blossoms of the flowering quince seem to be in the wrong branch-position every year, just like an early or late blooming spring seems to have missed its proper place on the calendar. Growth spurts in youngsters, too, can seem untimely as kids wait for new height and maturity to come. Our 7 late-blooming children sometimes found it difficult to be the smallest one in the class when their friends had grown a head taller and begun to look like adults, wondering when growth and change would come to them.

But God is in charge of all blooms, the botanical kind, the biological kind, and the spiritual kind. He isn’t in a rush, and he’s never behind in his choice of a blooming schedule. He waits for the optimum moment, and when the time is exactly right, he causes new life to burst forth.

“Let your roots grow down into him… Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:7)

Burden-Bearer

Posted on by

After a woman learns she’s expecting her first baby, like it or not she’s joined the Burden-Bearing Club. She doesn’t feel the weight of it at first, but as the weeks pass, understanding dawns. Then after 9 months, she’s eager to go through the misery of labor and delivery, because it means she can unload her burden.

But burden-bearing doesn’t end there. All parents quickly become acquainted with the lifting, hauling, and holding that their new role brings. Even a 7 pound newborn becomes a back-breaker after enough carrying duty.

Looking back on the heavy lifting of parenthood, my prominent thought is of Nate. His M.O. was always to lighten my load, and his constant question was, “Can I carry that for you?” Even if he already had his arms full and I had only one thing, he’d offer to take it from me.

I remember trudging through Disney World years ago with our own children and another family, watching Nate walk ahead of me next to the other dad. The two men were laughing, having a good time, and Nate resembled a pack horse for all the bags and bundles hanging from his shoulders. But because his motivation was always to help me, he carried his load lightly.

Scripture describes a similar picture when God says, “Can I carry that for you?” He’s referring to our sins, knowing how burdened we feel when we know we’re in the wrong and haven’t done anything about it.

The biblical David described this exact dilemma: “My guilt overwhelms me—it is a burden too heavy to bear. I am on the verge of collapse… But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done.” (Psalm 38:3-4,17-18) If we follow David’s example, we’ll find the same relief he did: “May all who search for you [Lord] be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, ‘The Lord is great!’ You are my helper and my savior.” (Psalm 40:16-17)

Although Nate’s shouldering of my burdens had to end when he passed away, God’s carrying never stops. He established it permanently when Jesus took responsibility for all sin, for all time, everywhere. And it’ll continue forevermore for anyone who takes advantage of the reprieve he offers.

I probably shouldn’t have taken such regular advantage of Nate’s offer to carry my burdens, but his “can I carry” continued, even when he didn’t feel good. This picture, taken about 6 months before he died, tells the tale. We knew nothing of his deadly cancer then, although it had probably already taken hold, but his back was torturing him. Even then he asked if he could carry my weighty red purse on a sight-seeing trip in England.

 

Although every good man offers to carry his wife’s burdens, only the finest will shoulder her purse.

“Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you.” (Psalm 55:22)

Rough Patches

Posted on by

All of us have been driving when suddenly a torn patch of road shakes the car and has us swerving to avoid potholes. The road of life can be like that, too, presenting us with sudden rough patches in finances, marriages, friendships, or our spiritual lives. But if we take our time, if we slow down enough to carefully navigate around the cracks and dips, we can avoid potholes-worth of problems.

God is linked into this idea, too, knowing that when we calm our pace, we’ll hear him better. And when we hear him better, we’ll learn how to avoid trouble.

All of us remember Mr. Rogers of public television fame. He was popular with children because he moved at a slow speed, waiting for them to catch up if necessary. Although adults sometimes made fun of his unhurried pace, truth be told they appreciated him for it, too.

I recall one evening on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show when Fred Rogers was a guest. At the beginning of the interview, Johnny asked questions tongue-in-cheek, winking at the audience. When he asked Mr. Rogers to sing one of his original songs, Fred looked Johnny straight in the eye and without a trace of hurry sang:

“It’s you I like–
Every part of you,
Your skin, your eyes, your feelings
Whether old or new.
I hope that you’ll remember
Even when you’re feeling blue
That it’s you I like…”

By the end, Johnny was wiping away a tear of emotion after having genuinely absorbed the sincere message of the song. Mr. Rogers’ calculated singing had slowed Johnny down long enough to hear the meaningful message.

What an effective illustration of our communication with God. So often we come into his presence flustered and rushed, hoping to have a quick, economical session with him. I’ve even initiated prayer times by asking God to make our few moments “efficient.” But hurried communication with the Almighty isn’t good communication, and unless we approach God like Mr. Rogers approached Johnny Carson, slowly and deliberately, we can’t expect much in return.

When we slow down enough to appreciate and adore him, good things will happen. If our minds are already on the next event, not much of significance will occur. So how do we bring ourselves to a screeching halt in a high-speed world? Even if we do it bodily, how can we keep our brains from buzzing?

We do it the same way we avoid highway potholes: by focusing on the damage we’ll cause if we blast into them, which then motivates us to slow down enough to see and avoid them. Likewise, if we ponder the damage to our spiritual lives as we race in and out of God’s presence, we’ll slow ourselves down enough to hear him.

And it’ll be then that he’ll let us know how to avoid all the rough patches life’s road has to offer.
“Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.” (Ecclesiastes 8:3)