That One Zinnia Plant!

This year, I didn’t plant any flowers next to our side porch because we are having our porch renovated into a sunroom. No need to plant and then extract them while the construction is proceeding! It has been a loooong summer without flowers! While Mom lived here, she planted gerber daisies there for years, and I have done the same since moving here. In other words, that area looks pretty bare because I have it covered with black plastic to kill any weeds that try to show themselves.

Guess what God did??!! He surprised me with one zinnia plant growing right next to the brick foundation of the porch and just outside of the black tarp. A few weeks ago, I used my “plant identifier” app on my phone to verify that it was indeed a zinnia. Yup! It has been exciting to watch it grow, and last week I had to stake it because it was leaning so much toward the sun and falling over!

My heart has been blessed by this one plant. It actually has reminded me of how often we have to stand alone, meaning physically separating ourselves or intellectually separating ourselves. There can be a variety of reasons, such as not having the same belief(s) as others, not agreeing with issues raised by others, or supporting a cause that others do not.

It has not been easy for me to stand alone at times. I have always been a “people pleaser” and have gone along with the crowd many times. Sometimes I have followed the crowd and later really thought about what I did and changed my mind on that issue. Growing is a process as stated by my shirt below. We are to "thrive - to progress toward a goal despite circumstances"

One of those “stand alone” issues can involve your faith/your belief in God as the Creator and Sustainer of life and His written Word. Have you ever been tested in your faith? I remember years ago in Durham when a friend of my sons tried to commit suicide but, thankfully, was unsuccessful. Mike, myself and the boys went to the hospital to gather with friends from the youth group and other church members. I remember distinctly listening to one of the youth leaders talking about how awful the situation was, and there was little hope that he would survive and/or survive with his faculties intact. God’s spirit rose up in me like never before. I don’t remember all that I said, but I did talk to her about the power of God; the hope of God; and the healing of God. Don’t claim death when we have a God who is the giver of life and health!! Thankfully, he did survive and is a healthy young man.

"If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14 (NLT)

When God gives us an opportunity, we must grab it because He can always give it to someone else! Who knows why He wanted me to speak to the youth leader as opposed to someone else who is more eloquent in speech? It doesn’t matter. He impressed upon me the urgency to speak those words to her. I stood alone in doing that but really had no choice because of that “urgency” by God.

There have been other times when I have felt alone due to my convictions/faith/ beliefs based on my life experiences, but how will we know if we were made for “such a time as this” unless we speak up? Some people are very comfortable with speaking up, but it is hard for my introvert self unless God really moves me.

Sometimes “standing alone” means physically standing alone. But God has a way of drawing some to us who are like-minded. He has done this more since we moved to Clarksville than before. Is it Clarksville? Well, it is a great little town on the lake, but it is the Spirit of those whom God has me connected to. I pray for that connection to continue to grow with others!

Each day I examine my zinnia. It is a beautiful pink. I am now seeing more buds!! If you look to the left and the right of the main stalk, you can see these tiny buds forming. This zinnia flower is no longer standing alone because it has new blooms coming to join in the walk of faith! God knows just what we need when we need it!

May we be bold in our testimonies and declarations of our faith! And may we not fear the "standing alone" times when we wish someone else was there with us because He already is!

Thanks for stopping by,

Rachel