In my last post, I celebrated the hard fought, long awaited breakthroughs that arise from ash-covered rubble.
I rejoiced over God’s power to exchange brokenness for beauty, and pain for purpose.
I recounted His painstaking work.
How tenderly He toiled.
How fiercely He protected.
How present He remained.
In the hidden places where chronic pain took root, He never left my side, ameliorating what ached and mending what had come undone.
Even still, there was an urgency, a need,
to rebuild,
to reclaim,
to return,
to resume.
Healing does not follow our timeline, though, and what has been wounded must first be tended.
If we rush that process, if we, like the daisies and the hellebores in my backyard, bloom prematurely, we diminish our impact and forfeit the fullness that might have been ours had we waited.
What is covered in blooms today will be covered in frost tomorrow. The blossoms, vivid today, will be muted tomorrow. It simply is not time for their debut.
The same holds true for those of us who tire of waiting. Concluding that our germination is complete, we act.
Independent of God, and unprepared for the long haul, we soon find ourselves withered, stilted, and lifeless.
We step into the light too soon, not yet anchored enough to withstand the cold that accompanies our return.
When what is fragile meets what is unyielding, our haste leaves us vulnerable.
We bloom too soon and fade too fast, when all the while, God intends to see us restored.
He is not asking you to be on display, beloved.
He is inviting you to be made whole.
He is tending to what was wounded in order to strengthen what must endure.
So if you find yourself in a hidden, healing season, submit to the work of His hands.
He is up to something with your life.
Preparing you.
Readying you for the long haul,
for service that endures,
for lives that testify to a Creator who makes all things new.
In scarcity or abundance,
in drought or deluge,
in struggle or ease,
the beauty that results will more than make up for the breaking that preceded it.
So do not lament what God is redeeming.
Do not rush what He is restoring.
Do not question what He is doing behind the scenes.
Embrace what He has in mind for you, understanding that it will be more vibrant and life-giving than you could have possibly imagined at the start.
Wait on Him.
Trust His timing.
And behold the exquisite beauty that tarries only up until the moment God finishes His work.
“He has made every thing beautiful in His time.”
𝐄𝐜𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝟑:𝟏𝟏