TULIP

Turned Upside-down Left In Pot

I think we were both confused, me because I couldn’t figure out what I was seeing and the plant bulb because all the blood probably rushed to its head somewhere around mid-December.  Medicine will tell you a person should not hang upside down for more than a few minutes but I have no idea how that applies to a tulip bulb that has been upside down for 3 months.  To my mind, he looked both perplexed and embarrassed. 

I know exactly when the poor fellow got turned catawampus though.  A couple of weeks before Christmas one of the squirrels in my hood ventured out of its nest to look for snacks and landed up on my porch; landed up on my porch and in my potted plants to be more exact.  The wee intruder left a trail of mischief that involved peanut shells, dirt and an upturned basket of flip-flops.  I swept up after the little monster and moved pots around so they would be less vulnerable if Mr. Squirrel returned.  I assumed it was a harmless peanut raid. However, I didn’t realize that Mr. Squirrel had dug up my spring bulbs and inverted a couple as he foraged for the peanuts he hid.    To my knowledge he didn’t come back, but that thinking is probably naïveté on my part.  The same naïveté coincidentally, that causes my girlfriend to swear her cats never walk on the kitchen counters when she isn’t home.  I’m not buying it; I saw that little beast licking a dinner plate above the dishwasher regardless of what she needs to believe to get by.  Satan cat probably also chews on her toothbrush when she isn’t looking. 

I gave the job of rescuing the bulb to my little, who heroically inverted the bulb and spoke to it in a very reassuring manner.  Its leaves look a bit worse for wear but we are expecting a full recovery.  Spring growth has a way of eclipsing the blemishes and imperfections of nature.  This first gardening adventure of the season got me thinking about unexpected things that spring up from the soil when the weather heats up.  Weeding isn’t my favorite task in the garden but I do it with some regularity.  I’m always surprised how quickly weeds grow and endlessly surprised as to where they come from.  Nature is filled with maniacal forces that sew weeds every way possible, causing a bumper crop of them regardless of my participation. 

Have you ever been surprised by what your actions have produced my friend, good or bad?  Have you ever watched one of your children behave with astonishing kindness and wondered what on earth you could have done right in raising them to produce such an act of grace?  Conversely, have you ever become so unglued that when you regained your sanity that you wondered what was going on the depths of your soul to cause such dysfunction? Or perhaps you are in a situation that isn’t as clear cut and you are like my tulip who was minding its own business when it got turned upside down by someone who intended evil against you.  When the situation warmed up you found yourself totally unable to rectify the situation. 

I have a dear friend who finds herself in exactly this situation today.  One moment she was walking in good faith with a “friend” and the next she was turned on her head by an astonishing act of selfish unkindness.  Without any warning, she was left exposed, looking foolish and without the resources or reserves to change her situation.  Kind of like my tulip.  It’s pretty hard to get your face out of the dirt and plant your feet when you lack arms, thumbs or any understanding of how you got messed over.   

My friend, if you find yourself in that place, can I encourage you today?  Your situation is known by God.  One of his names is El Roi which translates “the God who sees me.”  You can find the first usage of that name in Genesis 16 by a woman whose situation far exceeded her abilities to deliver herself.  Rest assured God knows the reality of your pain even more than you do.  He promises not to leave you, to take the evil used against you and to work it for your good. 

That might not be the answer you want.  You might want immediate deliverance. 

If I had preached this to myself a year ago, I would have screamed, “I’m not interested in God being with me, I just want to be delivered from this mess.”   I have cried myself to sleep countless nights, begging God to take away a situation he had no intention of removing until his faithfulness in the trial drowned out my fear of the trial.  It was a difficult time.    

So this week I am praying with this scripture in mind,

I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

If you find yourself in a situation that causes you to fear, might I remind you that God is interested in building your faith?  Actually, not interested, that word doesn’t even come close.  Invested, dedicated, committed, these words come closer.  Instead of praying not to be afraid, why not change it up a bit.  Ask to learn the lessons that are taught in times of suffering.  Pray for boldness.  Pray for courage. Pray for his peace. 

You will come through this season.  It will not last forever.  God sees you.  He is working on your behalf.  He is bigger than your fear.

xoxKaren