The Lesson of the Magnolia Trees

I wish I had a picture to post with this blog, but I didn't take the picture when I should have and I lost my opportunity! Hopefully, I will get another chance and I won't miss it!

I have two magnolia trees in my back yard that were planted last August. We have been watching them through the months and have given them both the same care. However, one tree is much healthier than the other. As a matter of fact, we thought that the one tree died, but we kept watering it. The leaves were all turning brown as the other one got better and better looking. Finally we saw three buds on the healthy tree. We were so excited. They finally started to blossom, but seemed to die before they ever fully bloomed.

The unhealthy tree, started to show some green on it and we keep watering it, and it looks like it is starting to come back. Sunday morning my sister told me she saw another flower and that this one was on the unhealthy tree. It was beautiful! I didn't have time to take a picture before church and by the time I went back out later in the afternoon, the flower had died! I was so disappointed!

But earlier that morning, as we looked at the tree, mostly dead, and looked at the flower coming from it, I thought of a phrase I have often heard about Christians, "Bloom where you are planted." Even though this tree was mostly dead, it brought joy and pleasure for a brief time. Sometimes as Christians, we think our lives are too much of a mess for God to use even a small part of us. But really we are a lot like this tree, God can use any part of us at any time He chooses; we just have to be willing! Even though our lives are like "a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, God does have a plan for our lives.

In Ephesians 2:10, He tells us that we "are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has planned in advance for us." Even when we think we have nothing to offer, God will take our nothing and make it beautiful, in His time, according to His plan. Let's start believing that God is making something beautiful out of our life - even though we can't see it. Let's just daily tell God, here I am, please use me. Glorify yourself through me! Everything we do is for the praise of His glory!