Snapdragons, Geraniums, and Journeys

I spent some time digging in the dirt this weekend and planted some wave petunias and snapdragons under my light post in the front yard. It is now a splash of color to view as I wash dishes and look out my kitchen window. I also freshened up my front porch and pruned back my miracle geranium. I call it a miracle because when Leah was about three years old her Sunday School teacher brought in cuts from her geranium plant and passed them on to her students. It went with the lesson on how God causes all things to grow. Leah was very excited to come home and plant her flower.
I on the other hand am not a green thumb and the idea of having to remember to water this new plant did not appeal to me at all. So, I purposefully forgot about planting it. I thought if I ignore it long enough then it will wither and brown and I can easily tell Leah we have to throw it away. I let it sit on her desk for a week and finally she brought it to me saying "We have to plant my flower." I groaned inside. I thought about coming up with an excuse but none came. Then I said to myself why not it will probably die anyway so let's just go through the motions. We stepped onto the front porch and I picked the first open spot in the planter. We dug our hole which was not very deep and gave it some water. Then I went back inside thinking it will most likely die but at least I've done my parental duty. For the first few days Leah was good about reminding me to water it and I obliged thinking this won’t last long. Surprisingly the thing never got brown and died. It actually started looking better, the leaves were no longer wilted and it looked much greener. It intrigued me and I found myself checking it out regularly and giving it water a couple of times a week thinking surely this won't last. It was many weeks later when Leah and I walked past her plant one evening and noticed the first red blooms. We were amazed and cheered at the new flower. I stood in awe that something I had so badly neglected and wished to die was blooming. Five years later Leah's geranium still blooms and I honestly don't give it much attention or water. But, whenever I see it's red buds they remind me of strength, perseverance, endurance, and commitment. I've been thinking a lot about journeys lately. We all have journeys in our lives some are short term, some are longer, and then there is the ultimate journey that last throughout our life where we grow and experience things that shape and form us. Leah's geranium has had its own journey, times when it was well watered and times when it was not. It has survived through the changes in the seasons and the environment. Sometimes our journeys move us from place to place, but other times God firmly plant us and lets us grow and bloom within the changes of our environment. Whatever our journey looks like He asks us to be committed and faithful, to persevere and bloom.