April showers bring May flowers, except when they don’t. And also, rain. Lots and lots of rain. 

In our walk with the Lord, we experience seasons of great blooming. Seasons when we are on fire for the Lord and His Word, we’re growing in our faith in new and exciting ways and we feel more connected to God than we ever have before. This season might also be referred to as a mountain top experience or a spiritual high. 

In other seasons, it feels harder to bloom. It might be because of a particularly rainy stretch, where it feels as if it’s just one hard thing after another. It might also be because of a drought. We can’t seem to get engaged in Scripture or prayer, or it feels like we haven’t heard from God in a while; like He just isn’t near. And at other times, nothing is particularly good or bad. We just don’t bloom.

We all want to bloom because it’s what we were made to do. A flower isn’t really a flower until it blooms—until then, it’s just a bud. We were designed for close relationship with God. There is something deep inside our souls that longs for that connectedness and passion, even if we only know it by its absence. The problem is when we expect to bloom simply by being. Even flowers need sunlight, weeding, watering and tending so they can produce their best blooms.

As believers, we feel more inclined to be in the Word and practice spiritual disciplines when we feel most connected with and passionate about God. However, we can’t wait for the passion to come. It’s cultivated by regularly practicing spiritual disciplines even when we aren’t in the mood. The same is true for marriage or working out. I will not have a healthy marriage if I only spend time with my husband when I feel connected with him. Rather, I feel connected with him because I spend time with him. Likewise, I will not have a healthy body if I only work out when I’m at my healthiest. I only get to my healthiest because I exercise to get there.

To experience a season of blooming means putting in the work now. We need to weed out the things standing between us and God. We water our spiritual lives with sweet friendships, prayer and worship. We put ourselves in a position to receive sunlight via God’s Word, spiritual disciplines and intentionally seeking God’s presence always. We don’t have to wait. We can bloom today if only we seek it. 

Experiencing GOD:

• How would you describe your current spiritual health and connectedness to God? Are you blooming? Are you experiencing a rainy season or a drought?
• What changes can you make today to work towards a bigger bloom?

Supporting Scripture:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)