Bloom and Grow (eBook)

JANUARY 1

Before Time

Now unto him that is able to guard you from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory without blemish in exceeding joy, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen.

JUDE 24–25 ASV

After counting down to midnight, I still dislike the ticking of the clock. I feel bullied by it. There’s hardly time to enjoy sowing and harvesting before hibernation. A year disappears as quicksand beneath my feet; I need better grounding.

Our Creator, who is not anchored to time, created time. If time bullies me, he’s not to blame. The culprit is instead my spent perception and stunted view of what God meant for good. Where is the antidote for time’s pushiness? Where can we find solid, higher ground to escape the flood of time? God existed before the beginning of all things—including time—with the Son and the Spirit in perfect unity.

In an instantaneous power flash, the Light of life became flesh. Above him shone the bright light in the eastern sky seen by the wisest men of the day. Jesus returned to the Father with radiant streams of light particles, flesh departing as spirit through a thin veil, shredding the thick curtain dividing us and God. What remained here besides a scorched stretch of linen? Peace. Not fear, loneliness, or hurry, just the Father, Spirit, Son, and peace.

ONE TO GROW ON

What is one way you’d like to better reflect God’s heart to the world?

Lord, my mind can’t comprehend the physics of light or time; I only know I need them. Align me with the passing of time so that all my life is yours, reflecting your light to the world. Amen.

JANUARY 2

Blindsighted

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

ISAIAH 42:16 NIV

My vision went milky, and my eyes hurt. I fell in a heap of tears, scared and helpless. My husband drove me to the ER but wasn’t allowed in with me. After sitting on a cold metal stool in a frigid room for an hour, sobbing, I’d reached a low point, made worse by discovering I’d injured my eyes gardening. Both the soil and my contact lenses had been dry; without realizing, I’d damaged my corneas by rubbing closed eyelids.

Once the ER visit was over, I felt an unexpected flood of peace. It took me by surprise as I fumbled around our home as my patched eyes healed. Out-of-place things and unfinished tasks stopped calling for attention. Even the familiar footfall of depression had ceased. In three days, soft light flooded in, and my visual clarity returned.

In those moments of powerlessness and fear, I’d had no words to pray. But I’d emerged into the hands of kind nurses, pain-relieving ointments, my sweet husband, and a new paradigm: un-distractedness. It was the gift of focused vision. God heightened the sound of birdsong and the voices of my daughters and my dad. Blinding me to oppressive distractions, God gave me time to be healed and nourished and to return to my garden with greater wisdom.

ONE TO GROW ON

Sometimes we’re blinded to certain realities for our good. What distractions would you be happy to be blinded to for a while?

Jesus, you love me so much that you bring me to the places of deeper healing just when I think I’m lost. Thank you. With whom shall I share your healing today? Amen.

JANUARY 3

Light in Your Darkness

“The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

MATTHEW 4:16 NIV

Golden sunlight blankets my winter lettuces, nurturing but not incinerating them (or me or anything else, for that matter). The benefit we humans receive from the sun speaks of God’s love. Could something so perfectly designed for flourishing spring from anything else? Its light warms, nourishes, even lends order to our lives, its rising and setting guiding our internal clock for healthful spans of work and rest.

The world clock and cultural trends have dulled our internal clocks, overriding them with unhealthy patterns of waking, working, sleeping, even eating and mood, leaving us languishing. The more time we spend out under the sun, the more closely we align with the Creator’s design and the more we thrive. The reality of our connectedness to all God’s creation brings the truth of the gospel out of shadowy metaphor and into the light of our daily lives. After we’ve experienced the impact of the one true source of light, it’s hard to settle for artificial substitutes. It is no different with Christ, the Light of the World. And it’s no wonder God filled the physical and spiritual realms with examples and reminders of the power of light.

ONE TO GROW ON

Have you experienced waking and sleeping by the sun? If so, how did you feel compared with waking after sunrise and working until dark? If not, reset your internal clock (circadian rhythm) with a no-artificial-light weekend.

Jesus, you are my eternal sun, the Light of the World (John 8:12), the daystar (2 Peter 1:19), and the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16). I need you. Amen.

JANUARY 4

All That Glitters

Jesus said to him in reply, “Depart from me, Satan! It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”

MATTHEW 4:10 NCB

Freezing rain and ice storms can transform landscapes into glittering wonderlands, particularly in the eyes of a child. Always one for natural beauty and extraordinary weather events, Dad took us exploring after such a storm, making the most of the teachable moment for me. I was mesmerized that individual blades of grass and tree branches sparkled, brilliant as diamonds. Brilliant, yes—but brittle. Maybe you’ve seen this beauty that leaves trees decimated, homes damaged, and roadways treacherous. If so, you’ll know the real crisis is the people left without electricity, even shelter, vulnerable to bitter cold for agonizing days, if not weeks.

The fragility and fleeting beauty of such a diamond-encrusted world mar the beauty of lives and landscapes many years in the making. Trees and homes are replaceable, but the loss of human lives is a palpable reminder of how ephemeral are things that distract our eye with promise of grandeur. Grasp at them and you’re left with nothing but cold, empty hands. Let them hold our gaze for long and what is truly precious and of lasting import can slip away from us too.

Joyfully receive the inspiration of earthly beauty but don’t allow it to hold your gaze. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21 CEB). Jesus wants all of your heart.

ONE TO GROW ON

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen? Read 1 Corinthians 2:9 and consider that no one has ever laid eyes on the eternal beauty

God has in store for you.

Jesus, grant me your eyes to see and your sharp focus of heart and mind that upheld your commitment to the Father’s will in the most difficult times. Amen.

JANUARY 5

Time for a Check-In

Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.

JAMES 1:17 ERV

New Year’s week is that time when you like to pause, check in, and give yourself some needed attention. Perhaps you’ve been through the seed catalogs and made a list of those that make your heart happy. You ask yourself, Is my life as it should be? What needs tweaking, and how? But this is where you, like most of us, stop. Maybe you jot (or post) your new goals somewhere, but you forget the glue that makes goals stick. As a life coach, I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. Like dieting and gym memberships, they’re ideas that sound good but are missing the foundation and supports from which real transformation grows.

That list of garden seeds won’t produce a bed full of blooms that return year after year all by themselves. As flowers need the support of soil, water, minerals, and sunshine, even one new goal needs support in all areas of your life—not just one area. The knowledge and effort that sustain a goal are the roots and mycorrhizae running through the foundation of your life. The transformation you want comes from your Father God. The one who never changes is your bedrock and your fortress on every side....