Perhaps the only downside to Autumn for me is fewer blooms in my garden. Small groups of summer blooms linger until the first hard frost; mums and Autumn Joy pop up here and there, but by and large, the profuse color of spring and summer has ceased. But lost blooms are not lost growth!
While showy blooms capture our delight, they offer but a glimpse of the true beauty of a plant; so it is with our lives, brief moments of spotlight accomplishments fail to exhibit the true loveliness of our souls.
As visual creatures, we cannot deny the attraction of physical beauty, but my trip to the garden revealed a depth to beauty we often miss when lingering only on the surface.
Welcome to the garden for a time of Garden Grace, where we allow God to reveal Himself through His creation. We linger together gleaning all He has for us through the beauty of plants, trees, animals and insects. I can’t wait to share my most recent discovery with you!
Lost Blooms
Autumn clean up in the garden brings a wistful feeling of past glory, as if what was will never come again. Yet fingering a few dead heads of echinacea, reminded me lost blooms are not lost growth, as the tiny black seeds fell to the ground.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
But what we often perceive as dead, actually brings new life to the plant in the next season.
Though we delight in the seasonal blooms, the true growth of the plant occurs in the season of obscurity, the season where the life of the plant lies buried beneath the soil.
Walking through a similar life season, I have no showy blooms capturing attention or praise, but deep in the hidden corners of my soul, God cultivates new growth for a time yet future.
“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”
Lost Blooms Are Not Lost Growth
As the warmth of the Autumn sun washes over my diminished garden, the newly worked soil reminds me rest births renewal. Beneath the rich dark mulch, growth not only continues, but flourishes.
In seasons where we may feel set aside, or overwhelmed by the darkness of hard paths, God remains at work in the depths of our souls preparing us for our next fruitful season.
In the same way the garden moves through seasons of flourishing blooms and dormancy, so God incorporates those rhythms into our lives. Seasons of fruitfulness and activity for His kingdom shift into intervals of rest, cultivating soul growth.
Whether in a season of rich blooms or one of hidden cultivation, rest in the sure hands of a loving God who lovingly nurtures your soul, that you may bear fruit for His kingdom.
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even when all looks lost, there’s a whole lot happening under the surface. may this be true not only in our gardens but in our daily lives. autumn teaches us so many lessons …
Linda, what a great analogy, I’d love to think that is true in my own life. A good reminder that God is busy at work renewing the inward man of the heart, but not only that, when all looks lost, the story is not over yet!
God does renew us every day! We may not see a change in our physical world, yet He’s always working for us, not against us. What comfort that is!
Lynn, Amen that even though our outward man perishes day by day, God is renewing the inward man of the heart!
Donna, such a beautiful post.
I.love that no bloom is lost and how Godnis always making us new.
Thank you, Deborah for your kind words.
Today as I was outside a bit, I noticed my potted flowers are yet blooming. Not only blooming, but more so than all summer. It has made me realize how little control I have over how and when growth occurs. It truly is all in the hands of the Creator, both in season and out of season, as I appreciate the beauty.
I had to laugh when I read your comment, Joanne-I had the very same experience last week! Such a good reminder that we do not orchestrate real growth in our lives, but God does!
I love this post, and I know exactly what you’re saying about the growth underneath in the sparse season. In Georgia, those first daffodils that stood up in February were a sight for sore eyes. A hint of spring!
Now we live in the desert. We’ve endured summer heat, and soon planters will be full of winter foliage and blooms! So interesting 🌸thank you for your message today! Lisa
Thank you, Lisa for visiting and taking the time to read my post! In writing this post I was reminded how eager I am to see those first crocuses or daffodils which herald spring, yet the time of rest is equally as beautiful!