In March, we transplanted one butterfly bush that turned into two, one beautiful blue hydrangea, a knock-out rose bush – not to mention a trunk full of thinned out gifts from my aunt: yellow, white, purple, yellow with purple irises, yellow evening primroses, some little red/pink ground cover, bergamot and a rain tree from my cousin.
Every evening, I water and walk, checking on my 15 baby burning bush root-balls. For the longest time, 3 didn’t look like they were going to make it. Two of those 3 finally have green spouts. I’m not giving up hope for that last one, though.
Around the first of May, the knock out rose bush finally sprouted a few green leaves – and, oh, my how those green leaves are multiplying and growing.
The butterfly bushes and hydrangea, though, didn’t seem to be responding to my vigilance, my hope and my determination – the planting, the watering.
Until, one morning before work, as I was snapping off dead branches of one butterfly bush, I saw an itty, bitty spot of green. One spot of green made all the difference to my heart.
Hope blooming! Dancing in my backyard at 7 a.m.? Well, only the cardinals, neighborhood birds and I know the truth there!
How that hope fired up my day.
The other two bushes? The other butterfly bush in the shade. My husband says to wait. It needs more time.
The hydrangea that brought me such joy with its blue but had outgrown the little spot it lived – the garden specialist at my very favorite garden store told me if it didn’t do anything by the June 1, then it was probably lost.
Tonight, though, we found bits of hydrangea green in places unexpected, not quite where we’d planted. The root system had reached elsewhere by about 12 inches. Not where we expected. Not where we’d planned. But it is growing, growing to the sun.
All around me are messages to not give up hope.
Watching a demolition crew tear up a sidewalk outside my window at work, digging holes and dumping dirt on the bushes outside my window that had been pruned back, those bushes that gave me so much joy with the living things that came by. Then one morning, the destruction crew pulled my bushes out, huge rootballs and all, shaking the dirt from their root system – leaving nothing.
A squirrel happened by later, looking bewildered, probably chattering mad about what they’d done to his nuts in all their hiding places.
But someone dared to ask, dared to ask about those bushes.
“They have a plan,” came the answer. Probably for the bush with the huge root system and for the emptiness left behind – the plan wills probably start with bits of green.
All around, are these messages – to not give up. There’s a plan, both original and contingency plans.
I saw it this week in the lives of my teens – little bits of growth. I knew the root systems were there. It’s just the waiting, the waiting for the bits of growth to reveal itself.
A Facebook message from a son thanking God for something nice that happened to him. That’s one of those green specks on the root of his soul.
Another son realizing a wrong and taking the initiative to make it right – that’s a green speck on a soul root!
Watching someone you love build a dream – a branch snapped off – but those little specks of green keep showing up. That’s hope. That’s a message from God to not give up!
And, so I danced in joy at hope revealed in words, actions and bits of green.
As I danced with joy over the green, I considered a soul, a soul many thought empty, no growth and no one cared to hope.
I considered a soul people walked by, excluded because there was no godliness to detect, nothing beautiful to ooohhh and aaahhhh about, nothing redeemable seen.
How like my butterfly bush was this soul – and so many other souls.
Given up on by so many people.
“Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riffraff?”
Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders” (Matthew 9: 10-13)
We are called to pour Holy Spirit water on the seemingly dead souls like butterfly bushes transplanted and struggling for survival.
We are called to continually walk beside the seemingly dead souls like butterfly bushes, ministering hope and faith for God’s plan for life.
We are called to unconditionally love on those who do not live like we live, make choices like we make, who cannot grasp for some reason a Hope and Faith God because one day some green specks of life might just sprout.
A Hope and Faith people should believe green things will grow from a seemingly worthless soul, like a butterfly bush thought dead.
“Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working” (1 Cor 3:6, The Message)
The above post includes 429-435 Vintaged Blessings.
436) Weeding my new garden with my husband. Sitting on my garden stool, pulling too hard, I tipped backwards, falling
437) and we laughed,
438) laughed through him grabbing my hands to heft me up out of the garden dirt
439) showing my sons sweet friend how to make my garlic bread from biscuit dough, butter, garlic and salt
440) laughing as my littlest one came outside with a biscuit in his mouth, talking about how his brother’s sweet friend made tastier biscuits than I did
441) yellow flowers on green tomato plants
442) high school soccer on May evenings
443) hanging out with my oldest on and his friend before a soccer game
444) family roots in a community that saw your children grow up, graduate and come back to see a sibling on the same soccer field they played on. Good roots are a blessing
445) sitting outside with my husband in the evenings, listening to him make dove bird calls – and listening to them answer.
446) the joy in a school year ending
447) hot and spice chinese soup for a son with a cold, along with eggs rolls and hot mustard sauce
448) knowing that even when I feel lost in the current of life, unsure of where I am going, knowing that God has the plan. I like that!
449) orange mango, papaya and carrot juice smoothies
450) green celery and green grapes in chicken salad
451) green broccoli salad with crunchy bacon and brown raisins seasons just right
452) GaPow to go on Friday night along with 2 pizzas and bread sticks
453) ome on a Friday night
454) God with me, every day, every minute, every breath and in every prayer this past week, during the laughter, the challenges and my soldier son’s stitches
I love this illustration and analogy. Hope and faith will revive and restore anything that seems otherwise, dead! Thanks so much for sharing this!
Blessings,
~Erin
As usual, I stop by and leave extremely blessed. I love the way you wove spiritual truth into the story of your garden. The flowers that bloom are a reminder that resurrection follows death. And the hope that we can share to others who seem lifeless and thirsty. Beautiful post.
Hope blooming! Thanks for this post and your list. Just what I needed to read today. God has a plan even when all looks lost, dried out or dead. There is hope and He has a plan even when I can’t see it.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your hopes with us.
I love this picture and story of hope…and oh the joy is seeing young sapling growth with our kids:)…oh I love hydrangeas… but I seem to have an art for killing more than giving life…2 little ones left of the 6…I am hopeful I do see a little green. blessings as you continue to garden…both the dirt and heart:)
I need a message about hope blooming today. I’m bookmarking this one to come back when my tank is running on empty again.
This post is beautiful.. love the way you wove the butterfly bushes with hope and with the little sprouts in your sons’ lives. Amazing how hope fuels and inspires. Celebrating with you as you watch your children bloom 🙂 bit by bit. Always a joy to visit here!
what an encouraging picture of hope you drew from the little green on plants and flowers to new life in your sons…Thank you 🙂
So much life in this post… and encouragement that God is at work… deep within us, deep behind the scenes, where we cannot see, but He promises to complete the work…
This is wonderful…
Thank you for the reminder that growth can come in suprising areas of our lives.
What a beautiful analogy between life and nature. One of my favorite quotes is Faith is believing that our obedience makes a difference-even when we can’t see the results.
Oh, I share in your excitement of nurturing your garden and seeing growth! And I love, too, how we apply this to life. Beautiful words!
I LOVED #407-409. And I love hope. Sometimes it takes great effort to cling to hope, but growth comes. I’m learning that every day as I parent two new sons. 🙂
the ground teaches us so much about God doesn’t it? The green thumbs are closer to truth than dirt implies, the garden teaches us to see! Thank you for sharing this. Hope in dead places, a message I need to remember daily!
glad you are getting all those signs of new growth…and it does not always grow as we expect…and people dont either…and def not our children, but it comes and we patiently water…
Love how you make me stop and notice life. The bushes, the trees, the roots. Then, I love how you connect all of these ideas to big Truth and principles.
Enjoyed hearing about the growth your boys have shown this week. Makes me wonder how I’ve grown in the last few days.
I tell ya what you can beat those butterfly bushes up all you want…they come back…I have had huge ones which were well established, and moved them…or even worse; my husband moved them with about two inches of roots, lol… and they came back full.
T
Oh, I get this one :). I love the ways the garden speaks encouragement into a life. Doing a happy dance with ou for those little sprouts of hope!
You are busy and God is so good! You have so many wonderful thanks 🙂 Have a fabulous day!
oh friend. thank you. i had such a hard day with my boys… i needed this reminder to not give up. to look for hope. love you.
Loved it. A great reminder to keep going and watch for the little growth that will turn into something beautiful in my children. In my own life. Good stuff. Thanks.
This was perfect for me today, Maryleigh. It’s funny, I came over here fishing and I found it. Thanks for the inspiratin.
I find that every day, He lets me know where I need to go.
Love your words of hope and blessings! You have such a beautiful way of touching the heart. I’m striving for more growth here. Blessings friend.
http://www.positivelyalene.com/
I found this looking for information on my newly transplanted butterfly bush and was surprised to find so much more. Was truly inspired by your words of hope and growth . Thank You !
I’m going to go plant a butterfly bush! Maybe it’ll bring us the joy of little ones!