This article was a guest-post written by my wife Cheyanne.  She looks at the world through spiritual eyes, finding life-lessons in what most of us overlook as ordinary.  This post was inspired by our marriage, when she left her home and church in Florida and moved to the Midwest to be my wife.  Be sure to read her other upcoming guest-posts on this same topic!

“And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps1:3)

Plants: this is how I have constantly viewed my life this past year. More than once while in prayer my mind has went to different characteristics of a plant.

First, “bloom where you are planted” is printed across the cover of my prayer journal. The phrase hit me hard the first time I (finally) got my journal out after moving, and it has still been harder to follow.

Second, a seed must first breakthrough itself… We must breakthrough who we are for He can shine on us.

Third, a seed must push past its environment. Being a seed put it in the ground, but to become who it was designed to be, to reach its potential, it must push through the dirt and into the sun… We must push past what others think of us, where others think we should be, push past habits, mindsets, and circumstances.

Fourth, a seed, even after it is in the light, being shined on, after it has worked so hard to begin to grow towards its designed purpose, it must keep growing and putting down roots at the same time. It still has to grow and become stronger in itself before it can be strong enough to bear (carry) fruit… We must still take time in God’s Word and praying, and not bearing fruit, before we begin to reach our potential, before we can work in our designed purpose.

Fifth, another thing that came to mind is a nursery plant. The seed has already, “steeped out its comfort zone”, “broke though what others think of it”, and started to grow, both roots and branches. The seed is already close to its purpose, but it isn’t where it belongs yet. An individual will take it, move it, uproot it, and finally plant it in a place it can begin to grow bigger. The seed was cared for and cultivated by careful hands and environment, but before it can thrive and truly bear great, sweet fruit, it must continue to grow. It was well cared for but now it is in the big world, and it is up to the seed to soak up the water that comes along, get solid roots, and begin to grow, bloom, and bear fruit, in its season.

Sixth, even though God has been bringing these illustrations to mind, it has been something I have only wrote about and not shared much with Clay (outside of the first one). Well, a recent message Clay preached was, “Roots By the River”; something else that has been on my mind was given a plant illustration.

Prayer isn’t enough; we must read and memorize scripture to survive life’s storms. The wind (of the Holy Ghost) may feel good in our branches, but it is the water that benefits the entire tree. The Word of God is what grounds us; it is what makes it hard to be uprooted.

I am thankful for my husband who has helped me in tapping into the water source, because had it not been for the Word, this little nursery plant may have not have survived the transplant, instead I have continued to grow, even if I haven’t bloomed in a while. This next year will be different. I am asking God to help me break through my seed again for I can bear the fruit He designed me to bear, “in my season”.