Morning Glory

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to uproot. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

I love Morning Glory flowers. These soft, blue beauties with their heart shaped leaves are some of my favorites. They take me back to my childhood days on Otter Lake Road. I remember standing in awe of the bright green vines trailing all around the trellis leaning against our old white stucco garage. The gentle blue color of these blooming flowers drew me in. It seemed like their white center was an eye looking right back at me. I was amazed at how these little exquisite flowers softly closed as the sun increased throughout the afternoon. It was as if they were closing their eyes for an afternoon nap in the heat of the day. As a child, I often took a stroll out to the backyard in the morning just to catch a glimpse before they dozed off for the afternoon.

A couple years ago, I finally decided to plant some Morning Glory seeds out on my deck where I could watch them open and close, day after day. I planted them in early May and hoped that they would be in full bloom by July. I was excited for the vines to sprawl all around the bird feeder just above it, and for the stunning blue blooms to make their appearance.

Sure enough, in no time, the vines began to grow and climb exactly the way I had hoped. I waited and waited. No blooms appeared. I watered and watered, fertilized every week, and still nothing. Finally, I checked the seed package to see how many days it takes for a bloom to appear.....120 days from to seed to bloom! Yikes, I had no idea.

The summer months came and went. Fall began to fill the air as the leaves on the trees took on hues of yellow, orange and red. Our garage floor began to fill with decoys and hunting apparel in anticipation of the hunting season soon to come. My husband's phone started to buzz with the excitement as the hunters made plans for their first hunting adventure of the season.

Still, no blooms!

Sadly, my once lovely green vines were not looking good. I was tempted to just pull them all out and give up on ever seeing a flower. I started to question. Did I wait too long to plant the seeds? Did I water them enough? I decided to fertilize them one more time.

To my surprise, within a few days, one blue beauty finally opened her petals to greet me. How perfect was this little blue flower that took so long to arrive! The next morning, even more opened up. What joy as the green vine turned blue with my favorite Morning Glory flowers!

Doesn't this same scenario play out in our lives at times? We plant seeds and have such great expectations for their growth and arrival to full bloom. As we gently lay them into the soil, we are not thinking about how long it will take them to reach full bloom. We are just excited to watch them sprout and get started. Unfortunately, we can quickly tire of seeing only a green vine when we expected so much more. We want to see the flower in full display and we want it to come fast. We can be tempted to rip out that vine and just give up when maybe the beautiful bloom of the seed is just around the corner.

Are you weary in the wait? Discouraged because you don't see the fruit of your hard work yet? Don't give up, my friend! Continue to nurture the growth of the seeds you have planted. The beauty of the soft, blue bloom could be just around the corner and it is well worth the wait.

Pray with me...

Heavenly Father,

We marvel at Your creation. We praise You for the works of Your hands. Thank you for the summer season and all the beauty it brings. Help us to pause and enjoy it. Help us to savor the long, warm, sunny days and to be thankful. You have given us much.

Help us to be patient while we wait for the seeds that we've planted to reach full bloom. Surround us with Your love in the process. Give us the energy to keep tending to the seeds. Fill our hearts with the hope of the bloom. Keep our minds from discouragement and despair. Strengthen our resolve, day by day. Be glorified in the seeds we plant, the way they grow, and the blooms that they create.

In Jesus Name