MY LITTLE GARDEN - by my window

            Tuesday last week, I came back home from the province of my best friend. Her Mom gave me four kinds of plants. One of which was a flowering plant they called “alas quatro.” When I saw its flowers in her garden, I was attracted to them. I found them beautiful. She said that by 4:00 p.m., these flowers always fold. Cool! 

The next morning, I did some gardening in the ample space by my window. I cleaned it, tilled the soil and removed some potted plants. Then I planted the plants I brought back with me. I spread out the “alas quarto.” I envisioned this space later to be filled with them and with flowers as time would go along. I was so excited and looking forward to that day. But for now, I had to be patient and take care of my little garden by my window.

 

You know what I did? Morning and night I said good morning and good evening to my plants. I also told them that I loved them and God loved them more than I did. I always thanked God for the gift of them and I let them hear that. 

There is life in them. I believe they have sensitivity enough to feel that love.

 

Friday morning, I was so filled with joy! Why? Oh, I saw three buds. Wow! My heart really leaped with joy! A little while later, as I closely watched them, I saw the three opened up and bloomed into cute, tiny, beautiful flowers right before my very eyes! A double wow for me! Clap! Clap! Clap! I was truly joyful! I was bubbling with it when I told my best friend about it. Oh, how thankful was I to God! I always smiled and was filled with excitement every time my eyes laid on them and when I remember them.

Around past 3:00 p.m., the three flowers started to fold. By past 4:00 p.m., they were withering. The next day, I was still excited to see my flowers, but they were gone. Oh, I was expecting them to unfold and show their beauty again. Well, I thought, “Maybe the heavy rain brought by the storm “Falcon” we were having affected them. I was still hopeful though because as I looked closely, there were other buds still to bloom in the days to come.

Yesterday morning, just three days after this wonderful experience I had, I was watering my plants. Then I noticed two buds about to come out, just like little babies being born and waking up to the morning of this world. Wow! I immediately got the camera, took shots from time to time. Yes! Right before my very eyes again, I saw the two bloomed. Super wow! Clap! Clap! Clap! I took their pictures just like a proud mom lovingly taking pictures of her little children.

The flowers were awesome! By past 3:00 p.m., guess what happened….The two flowers folded. By past 4:00 p.m., they were withering. But I noticed something, There was a bud starting to bloom. Wow! Talk about the mystery of life, huh?!? 

This morning, as I checked on them, the two flowers were almost gone. So it was not the rain, but it was the cycle of their life. But I’m still thankful for the joy they brought me. I’m also excited because the other bud was starting to bloom. And guess what? I saw another bud about to bloom. That was really cool! Clap! Clap! Clap! 

As of now my garden is not that beautiful yet, but in it, if I will just look closely, there is beauty. There is life, and a future full of hope and captivating view.

Life is like my little garden by my window. At times, we see life as dull, so ordinary, nothing exciting going on. There were experiences we had from childhood until now that left scars of hurts and sufferings. Sometimes, we want a different life or we don’t like the people around us. Anger, disappointments, frustrations, and other negative emotions eat us up.

But like my little garden, if we look closely, our lives have beauty in them….Your life has so many wonderful things and people in there that can give you joy. Like the storm that my garden had, it may look like a bad weather destroying my flowers, but as I look back, the rain helped them lived, considering I had traveled for around five hours from the province with them and I just replanted them. Your troubles, your rains in your life add up to your inner strength. The lessons you have learned from them makes you wiser in facing your future. New hope is always born out of them.

Like the dying of my flowers and the coming of new buds, there will be something new in your life….always….guaranteed! Why do I say that with confidence? Because like what I did with my plants in my little garden, God is doing the same to you. He takes care of you. He never ceases to reach out to you and show you His love. He watches over you, talks to you, caress you. You are so precious to Him.

He said in Isaiah 46:3-4, “….I have cared for you from the time you were born. I Am your God and will take care of you until you are old and your hair is gray. I made you and will care for you; I will give you help and rescue you.”

Surely, there will always be an experience of life and death that will happen to you. There will always be a storm that you will have to face in your life. This is a reality that will definitely be there to come and go in different faces. But what will keep you strong? Who will keep you going?

Jesus commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and He said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down and there was great calm. This happened when He was on a boat with His disciples in the midst of the storm when they were so terribly afraid. Their boat was almost filled up with water and when that would happen, they would drown. But Jesus was so calm. His disciples were amazed that even the wind and the waves obeyed Him. (see Mark 4:35-41, TEV)

Jesus can keep you going. Your faith and trust in Him can keep you strong. As He calmed the storm in this situation, He can quiet down the storms in your life.

Like my little garden, your life right now may not seem beautiful for you, yet. But God is not finish with you and your life. As long as you are still breathing, there is new hope each morning for you, a new beginning to make your life beautiful, a future filled with joy. You just have to look closely and discover the beautiful flowers of blessings in it. I’m pretty sure you will find many. It’s just a matter of looking at your life in a different perspective and a positive way. 

 If you put your trust in Jesus, if you allow Him to take care with you ….the garden of your life….one day….yes, one day….you will see your life so wonderfully filled with beautiful flowers of experiences and blessings, yet to come….as one goes, one comes….You will have a blooming future because God is always lovingly taking care of you as He promised….as you believe….

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of "My Little Garden - by my window"

-luisadelacruz