Blooms Out Of Darkness
BLOOMS OUT OF DARKNESS
Read James 1:2-5, 12.
Tessa loved to visit Grandpa Nelson’s greenhouse. She loved working with Grandpa among the flowers and plants, learning to care for them and keep them healthy. But today she was confused. Grandpa had sent her into the storage room to get some potting soil. There, on a shelf, she saw some beautiful green plants. Grandpa had taught her that plants need light and water to grow, but these were being kept completely in the dark, and the soil in the pot was bone dry.
“Grandpa, those plants in the back room are going to die. Why did you put them there?” Tessa asked as she returned.
“Those are Easter cactus plants,” Grandpa replied. “If you keep the plants in the dark for a month, they begin to bloom when you bring them out into the light. So we can have them bloom when we want them to.”
“How strange,” murmured Tessa.
“Yes, it is,” agreed Grandpa. He put down his trowel and smiled. “You know, I think God sometimes puts us in the dark so we can bloom too.”
“You mean like when you were in the hospital?” Tessa asked.
Grandpa was glad Tessa understood. “At first I couldn’t figure out why I had to be so sick,” he told her. “But as I spent time praying and reading God’s Word, I learned to relax and wait for God. The Lord showed me that, while I was in the dark, He was giving me the bloom of patience.”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you ever wondered why you had to be in the dark? Why you had to be sick, or face a death or divorce in your family, or struggle with school problems? Sometimes the Lord allows problems in order to bring the bloom of patience or prayer into your life.
TO MEMORIZE:
When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
James 1:3
GOD WORKS THROUGH PROBLEMS.
From the book
