Several years ago, our neighbors across the street let us know they were moving. We watched our friends prepare to leave the neighborhood; they packed up belongings in boxes and tossed unwanted things into a dumpster. It would have been moderately entertaining, if we weren’t so sad about it all.
One evening, a week or two before the move was scheduled to happen, Jackie, the mama of the house, came over while I was watering my front porch flowers. “Hey! I want to give you my flower bush from in front of our house. Clyde’s gonna dig it up and bring it over!” Completely caught off guard, I didn’t have time to ask exactly what plant she was bestowing on me and went to my backyard to dig up a big hole, along the fence in the shade.
Clyde dutifully brought it over and deposited the root ball and stem in the giant spot I had prepared. and that was that. Later that fall I realized nothing had really come of what we planted – the leaves fell off and there it sat, in the shade, sort of forlorn, with nothing to do- a bare stick standing up near the fence. I’m sure it was lonely and sad.
Fall and Winter turned to Spring and I started thinking about my yard and what to plant and what would need my attention. As the season went along, my beautiful hydrangea budded and bloomed. My peony had lovely large flowers. And the garden had sprouts poking their heads through the soil, promising many more buds to come. One day I remembered the plant, so I went to check it out.
To my surprise, there it stood, with large green leaves all over. Examining the foliage I realized : I had planted a tropical hibiscus in the most shaded, cool part of my yard. It was absolutely in the worst possible place. Not sure what to do, I just left it, planning to replant in the fall when it was dormant. A few weeks later, when July was in full swing, hot and humid as it gets in Chattanooga, Michael came in from mowing the yard. “Hey that thing Clyde brought over has a couple flowers on it.”
I went out to the fence and there, in my backyard, that previously pitiful hibiscus, even though it was not planted anywhere near where it should have been, was green and tropical and covered in big, gorgeous, bright pink flowers. How could it be? I was dumbfounded.
Now, every time I see that plant grow and bloom in the summertime, I’m reminded, first, of our friends who had to move away. And I smile because I’m thankful for the friendship we shared. But then I’m also shocked that it is actually thriving. Sometimes the wrong place is the right place. Sometimes God plants us in places that seem like the most impossible spot for us to bloom. Worse, sometimes it takes a long time to see growth, or any fruit at all. And yet, with God, in spite of our notions, or comfort levels, so much is possible!
I love the promise in Ephesians 3, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” There is so much that we cannot accomplish humanly, but God is able! His power is at work in us, and in all of creation! And I think that even applies to a small Tropical Hibiscus displaying His glory in my back yard!
The thing of it is, my most favorite week of the year is also my very busiest week too. The week after Thanksgiving before the first weekend in December is always a time full of rehearsals for our Church’s Christmas concert.
daily portion 