Here we are on the cusp of spring and I have a confession to make.
I don’t have much of a green thumb.
I do have several houseplants that I’ve managed to keep alive, if not always thriving, for several years. But the lovely green plants in the planters on our front porch are, gasp, fake. And I bought them when they were 50% off at Hobby Lobby. That was a worthwhile investment considering how much I’d spent on real plants that I’d had to get rid of when they died!
This photo, however, is of the orchid that sits on the windowsill in our sunroom.
Someone connected to my husband’s job gave it to us a couple of years ago, not long after we moved into this house. I’ve heard that orchids are hard to grow, so needless to say, I didn’t think it would be with us for long.
However, it was blooming beautifully when my husband brought it home. So I put it on that windowsill and left it alone, except for an occasional watering.
It’s now bloomed two other times and, if you look closely, you can see one stem with buds that are nice and green. We will hopefully have flowers soon.
I did trim the orchid roots (I think that’s what those grey things are?) a couple of weekends ago. I’m sure there’s something more I should be doing to make it healthy. But I’m just excited that we’ll get to enjoy those pretty flowers again soon.
As I’ve considered that plant, I’ve realized how it relates to the seasons of life.
There are weeks, even months, when the orchid is beautiful and I enjoy just walking into the room and seeing its delicate flowers.
Then there are months where it’s just those big – not necessarily attractive – yellowish-green leaves and nothing seems to be happening. And no one’s more surprised than I am when new buds pop out!
So, courtesy of my orchid, here are three simple lessons on the beauty of waiting on God that I’ve been thinking about.
1. Sometimes life feels beautiful and we’re thriving, and sometimes we feel stagnant and discouraged.
When my orchid has its lovely, delicate flowers, it attracts our attention. But when it’s dormant, we can walk in and out of the room and pay no attention to it.
We have times when we’re flourishing and feel like we’re winning at life. But we all also go through hard life seasons. We just hang on and get through the days. Not much seems to be growing.
But even then, under the surface, something productive is happening. God never forgets about us, never leaves us alone.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: ~Philippians 1:6
2. We can’t see in the present how long our wait is or what the result of our waiting will be.
I’m sure there’s some science as to how and when orchids bloom. But I have no idea how long it will be from the last flower falling off my orchid until the next bud is produced.
So guess what I get to practice. Patience. Everyone’s favorite word.
In the seasons when nothing good seems to be happening, we get to practice waiting. And just like I can’t make my orchid hurry up and bloom, we often can’t make our situation resolve any faster. But we can trust the Lord and look forward to what he will produce in us when this season is over.
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. ~James 1:3-4
3. Something beautiful comes after the waiting season.
In the case of my orchid, it’s outward beauty. In our lives, waiting often results in a new inner beauty. A stronger faith. Peace. A greater trust in God and his plan. Resiliency and strength. And don’t we appreciate the beauty after the deadness?
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. ~Ecclesiastes 3:11
Today I’m in the waiting stage with my orchid. The buds are there. Each morning when I walk into the sunroom, I look over to see if there are flowers yet. And I’ll be excited when that day comes.
In the same way, waiting produces beautiful results in our lives. When our faith becomes sight, when we move past a waiting season, we can praise God that he has brought us through into a new and glorious place.
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