This is my Gerbera. I bought it last year at a discount as it was the last one on the shelf and a bit dried out needing some TLC. I watered it and put it in the sunshine and it grew a lovely flower. But after a few weeks the flower died and then it got pushed to the back of the windowledge and I sort of forgot about it. When I rediscovered it it had all but died. There were about two leaves left on it and they were really brown. I was pretty sure Id killed it, but I gave it some water and the two dead leaves revived just a fraction. It sat on the windowledge all winter looking a bit sad. But I watered it occasionally and then - lo and behold- a few weeks ago I noticed it starting to look as though it was actually growing.
Despite the thorough neglect it has experienced it has bloomed again. As I looked at it this morning the word ' resilience' came to mind.
God has built resilience into so much of the natural world. The trees are made to bend in the wind. The animals hibernate over winter and survive without food. There are seeds which can lie dormant in the ground for years or decades waiting for just the right conditions in order for them to be able to sprout. Weeds can grow through concrete. God has made this world robust, tenacious, flexible, resilient
He has made you like that too
You can survive so much more than you think you can. Just look back over your life. You have probably been through experiences which seemed impossible at the time. You possibly thought you would never survive the bereavement, divorce, injury, betrayal, disappointment, rejection, failure, redundancy.... whatever it was. But look ! You are still here. You survived. More than that, you moved on, recovered, thrived even. Or, if you arent quite into the thriving again phase, then at least the event didnt finish you off. Because you have resilience built into you and you will bloom again.
If things are tough just now, if you feel set aside at the back of the shelf - unwatered and ignored, almost dead through neglect...... take heart. The smallest amount of watering by the Holy Spirit will bring you back from the brink and lead you to flower again. You may not bloom overnight, But when you do you will be every bit as beautiful as you were last time you flowered :) And that has nothing at all to do with what a great plant you are. It has everything to do with how you were created. Strength and purpose and beauty are built into the very fibre of your being. You are awesome. Dont forget it.
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