Riotous Blooms

My oleander bush won’t bloom. Everyone else’s oleander bushes have a riot of magenta blossoms covering the dark, glossy leaves. I just have dark glossy leaves. Which are quite beautiful in their own right; however, if one owns an oleander, one wants the oleander to bloom.

I have pruned my oleander. I have watered my oleander. I have fertilized my oleander. It won’t bloom. Know why? It doesn’t get enough sun. Whoever planted my oleander, before it was my oleander, likely didn’t reckon on the tree next to it growing quite so large. They didn’t think about how the shade would stifle the oleander’s flowering ability.

My oleander has the potential to bloom. But unless I either cut down the large tree or move the oleander to a different spot, my oleander won’t bloom. Ever. Not even with large amounts of water, fertilizer and tender loving care.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a similar situation. We need God to cut something down in our lives, or we need Him to move us. Neither of these options is particularly attractive. But if we are going to produce what He intends for us to produce, we need to allow Him to do what He needs to do. It won’t be pain-free, but as Paul said in Romans 8:18 NIV, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

God created each of us with the potential for riotous bloom. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10 NIV). Let Him do what only He can do.