Look at her.
Stop. And look.
Marvel at her velvety petals, the delicate pink blushing from core to margins. Smile at her beautiful simplicity.
The cherry blossom.
She is a simple bloom but one of my favorites every year, heralding the coming of summer, the promise of pleasing fruit.
Had God been concerned simply with the end result, He would have engineered the process to be more efficient, to skip the flower stage altogether and order the tree to immediately produce cherries.
But our Creator has an eye for beauty. He does not rush. He does not tsk.
He created them beautiful and He celebrates the blossoms not only for what they will eventually produce but for what they are this very minute.
And He celebrates you, dear woman, who fear there’s not enough fruit in your life. Who bears the burden of shouting at the kids and burning the pot roast and spending too much time on Facebook.
Yes, the fruit of the Spirit? It is vital to a believer’s health and witness.
But don’t discount the blooms. Don’t be so rushed looking for the fruit of perfection that you think the flowers are a waste.
Patience does not appear overnight. Love does not spontaneously combust into flame. Faithfulness does not overwhelm you with the snap of fingers.
This fruit–the work of the Spirit who raised our Savior from the dead to transform you into the image of Jesus–takes time. You must drink up the waters of His grace, feed on His Word, bask in His presence, and you will bloom where He has planted you.
And those blooms, dear one? Those blooms are as precious as the fruit they will produce. Because He makes everything beautiful in its time.
Don’t fret because you don’t see perfection in your life. Some day you will be made perfect, even as He is perfect.
But until then, celebrate the blooms.
Photo credit: cherry tree, cherry bloom