Back in the early spring, I spied a flower in my compost pile. It was an anemone. They grow from something called corms which look like a tiny octopus. When I decided to plant them a couple of years ago, I took great care in following directions to make them sprout. I soaked them in water overnight and planted them in good rich soil. I bought frost cloth to cover them when the temps dipped below freezing.
It had been a long hard winter for me resulting from deep grief. I hadn’t posted anything on social media in months, but when that anemone caught my eye, in the middle of all of the thrown away material, I was mesmerized. I hadn’t done anything to protect it or encourage it’s growth. I must have actually pulled it up the summer before when it got too hot for them to bloom and tossed it in the compost pile.
All of the literature said they wouldn’t bloom the next year, but it turns out that God is not confined by conventional wisdom.
I felt led to post it, but I found myself not writing a long reflection to post as I would have in the past, but instead a photo with a caption, that read, “And then sometimes when you least expect it, new life and fresh hope appear.”
I hoped that the few words of encouragement that I felt God speaking to me would encourage someone else who needed to read them.
At the time, it was all I had to give.
A few days later, James, an old friend from middle school who grew up to be a pastor, messaged me on Facebook. He told me that the flower might make a good “Graceful Gaines,” devotion. He basically went on to say that people are in desperate need of encouragement these days. I thanked him for his kind words.
I gave a lot of thought to his message over the next few weeks. Sometimes, it really blows my mind when I think about God’s planning. I remember sitting at a table in homeroom with James talking about the pencil and paper cart and I don’t think I have seen him since. Yet, God reconnected us on Facebook a few years back when he and his wife were at a church in south Georgia.
God knew when I was in 7th grade, over 40 years ago, that He was going to grow that boy into a pastor. God knew then that He would plant in me a seed for writing and sharing glimpses of Him to encourage others. God even knew then, that I would now be suffering from loss and He knew then that He was going to make that flower grow to catch my attention. God knew then that He would use a social media platform that hadn’t even been invented yet, for that boy from my homeroom class to reach out and encourage me.
I find it both awe inspiring and humbling when I look back and see that God has always held me in His hands, even when I was completely unaware of His presence. A message from a childhood friend reminded me that God is truly always at work. Sometimes I need reminding. Perhaps you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂
God also knew how many people need your encouraging words. My husband of 43 yrs. passed suddenly on Christmas morning in 2019. Grief is a long road. As you say, God puts people in your path that He planned many, many years ago. Praying for comfort for you.
Thanks Dee. I am so thankful for your prayers. I am sorry for your loss and I pray that you continue to feel God’s comfort as He continues to walk beside you and send people to encourage you. You are still here, so God is not finished with your story. Wishing you peace.
Your response to God’s message has made a lot of us wake up to God’s calling for us to reach out to others to remind them of God’s love for all of us no matter what we are facing in our own lives.
Sometimes all we need is a gentle nudge to remind us that we all have some sort of testimony that we can use to share God’s love with a world that so desperately needs it. If we are breathing, we can share. Thanks for reading!