One Lonely Blossom

A couple of months ago I wrote about two magnolia trees that had suffered from the effects of blossoming too early in the season; having their blossoms die once the cold weather returned..  The one tree that grew without any protection from the elements held on to its dead blossoms, with its leaves not breaking through as quickly as the other.

With time, that tree did indeed flourish; its leaves a lush green. It stands beautifully next to the sidewalk as I walk by, but if I look closely, into the middle of the tree, I can still see the dead blossoms that never did fall.  That tree has held on to the devastation of the past winter.

A few days ago as I walked by I looked at that beautiful tree and noticed something, a single lonely blossom, but one blossom reaching up to the sky.  That beautiful blossom spoke to my heart; hope. It is not the season intended for it to blossom, but it has anyway. No matter what we have gone through in the past, no matter what hurts have gotten us down, there is always hope.  Jesus Christ died to give us hope. He wants to turn all the negatives of the past, all the hurt, the pain, the bad choices, all of it, he wants to turn them into beautiful blossoms of His glory.


When I look back at my life, there are painful moments that continue to reveal themselves, coming to mind at the most inopportune time.  Those memories can hurt to the core of my being.  I can deal with the pain, I can forgive whoever needs to be forgiven, but in the end, those blossoms that died continue to mark who I am at my core.  That mark can become a thing of beauty if only I will allow it to be, if only I will allow God to heal me at my core. I can choose to stay stuck in my pain and my sorrow, or I can choose to allow God to heal my heart and use it all to impact the lives of others for his honor and glory.


"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

If I do that, if I allow God to do his thing in my life then he will make my life a life of beauty.  I, like Isaiah, feel like I will be able to say, " The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,   to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,  and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

That is exactly what I want. I want my life to reflect the hope that comes with one lonely blossom.  How about you?