Blossom Blessings

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

Rain drops like kisses were gently sliding down the soft pearly petals of a single bud sorrounded by a field of little green stems just barely pushing up through the ground. Rain gingerly gracing the unopened blossom then delicately splashing to the soil below.

A little girl, no older than six, approached the perfect petals in her muddy rain boots and mutli-colored umbrella. “Momma,” she said looking up at the slender woman’s hand she was holding. “I want to give you this flower.”

But as the child reached down to pluck it, she felt a light tug at her other arm. “Not yet, little duck.”

The little girl was confused. It was so beautiful now. What was her mother waiting for? “Why, momma?”

“It’s not open yet. If you give it just a little more time, the flower will be even more beautiful than it is right now.” The young child couldn’t imagine it. For she had never seen this particular flower in full bloom before.

The little girl began to cry, “I want it now.”

“We’ll come back in a few days. I promise. It will be worth it.” With that she picked up the crying child and carried her back indoors. Just as she promised, several days later they returned. This time the sun was shining warmly casting a yellow light over the whole field. As the child ran to the spot where her favorite bud was sitting she saw that not just the one little blossom had opened, but hundreds. It was a field of perfect white dutch tulips. All ornately smiling up at the sky.

“Wow,” the girl stood in amazement.

“Now, which little flower did you want to pick?” The mother bent down to whisper to the child.

“I don’t know which one it was.”

“Well how about you just go pick a whole bouquet. They’ll look great on our kitchen table in the blue vase.”

“The Lord is not slow…instead He is patient with you.” (2 Peter 3:9)

What if all those promises and blessings that you feel like God is withholding from you, is really God just being faithful to you? What if He is trying to give you a bouquet rather than a bud?

In 2 Peter, the verse says that God is actually patient with us, just waiting to be faithful to you. Waiting for the right time, the right place, the right season, so that your blessing is in full bloom when He hands it to you. He’s not a partial promise God. And if you want to gaze on a field of answered prayers rather than a bud of what could have been, then be willing to wait for His timing. Give the rain time to produce a harvest. Give the Lord space to work.