Christmas in October

I have finished digging in my garden and have all my tender plants potted and ready for the greenhouse. In their place I have planted pansies and set out my fall decorations on the front porch. Now, I can concentrate on Christmas. Wait, don’t shoot me! For those of you who have Christmas (Zygo) cactus or Poinsettias, this is the time to prepare them to re-bloom for the holidays. Plants will need to be placed into total darkness for twelve to fourteen hours per day. Simply covering the plant with a box or placing into a closet will accomplish this. Bring the plant out into in a sunny location during the daylight hours. Pay close attention to the amount of water you give your plants. Let the Zygo cactus dry out completely between watering. Poinsettias should dry out just to the touch. Do this procedure consecutively for ten weeks.

In other words, these plants need stress in order for them to bloom.

A few months ago my husband and I received a phone call from a young woman from our church. She said that one of our pastors wanted her to call us and ask if we would lead a small group. My first thought was, “There is no way this man asked you to call us. We are not young; we are not cool (and never have been). We just don’t have what it takes to do this type of thing.” But inside I already knew that it was exactly what the Lord wanted us to do. When I told my husband about the phone call he agreed. Now, a few short weeks later, we have 300+ people in our group. I have heard many speakers lately use the phrase, “Step out of your comfort zone.” That is exactly what we did. My heart raced as I reached out to introduce myself to new people. As the weeks passed, I laid my feelings aside and said, “Lord, here I am, use me today. Help me minister to your people. Give me your heart for them. Help me to see them with your eyes.” Today, we cannot wait for the weekend. We have met some amazing people and started new friendships. We have outreaches to people in our community. The time we thought we would be forfeiting has been multiplied back to us. The sense of fulfillment we feel is impossible to describe. 

How about you? What is it the Lord wants you to do today? Does it feel uncomfortable, stressful? Let me ask you this: if what God wants you to do was within your own abilities and your own strength, what would you need faith for? He won’t ask you for a leap, only a step. Take a deep breath, grab His hand. When the stress is over, you will certainly flower.

“In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10)