Receiving to bless the giver.

  I bought a container rose on clearance. It had several buds and one blossom when I bought it. The blossom lasted about a week, but all the buds withered dropped off. The store was getting rid of it; there was a reason.

  I re-potted it decoratively. I fed it. I picked off any dying foliage and threw it away. I put it where the light would be good and watered it carefully avoiding over watering. It got healthy and started putting on new leaves. Then I noticed a bud. Now it has two.

  Two years ago, I had a tropical vine die. It had been so lovely and brought me such joy -especially during the drab of winter. But the plant put out new growth at the base. I've fed and watered it, trained it, built it a trellis, I've put so much into this vine for the past two years. I don't know if it will bloom this year or not, but I believe it will bloom again one day and I continue to care for it and watch for the first bud. I can be patient because I've seen it's potential.

  Tomorrow I will prepare a meal and serve it as festively as I can. We will laugh and play some and give thanks for the past year and its great blessings. God gives so freely to us. We can add nothing to him in a material sense and we can not make him greater with our gratitude and praise and yet. . .

   I've been studying as a result of my personal reading and the rabbits that jumped out of the Word and had to be chased down. What if all the showering of love and blessing is taken in and absorbed and appreciated so that I grow and love others as I am loved? And what if the blessing of the Spirit of God brings an abundance of the fruit of the Spirit so that I become effective in the lives of other people in the way God intends.

  Learning to receive from God so completely, so efficiently that nothing is lost or wasted but my receiving brings God joy more than it does me is an new thought that I've been chasing. What if I am satiated for the Glory of the giver. What if I can truly become centered by the gift of grace and empowered to care for and about others as I care for and about myself? I'm not sure what it will look like. I'm not sure I can leave this ego-centrism we've developed in our faith behind, but I hope so. I truly hope so. Perhaps I can bloom to bring God pure joy, to make him smile and laugh. Perhaps all my receiving can bless the giver of life and every good thing.