I’m barely a gardener.  I appreciate the beauty of flowers, and I love vegetables and cooking with herbs, but the actual growing of them; not so much.  When people talk about how enjoyable it is to dig in the dirt, I immediately think back to the monster garden we had on the farm. It was not fun! To me, gardening meant work, hot, sweaty, itchy, pokey, work. As an extrovert, I would have preferred being with friends, but there I was stuck, on the farm, in the garden, all alone. (maybe my brothers and Mom were there, but I felt alone.)

Imagine my shock this summer, as I looked under my back step and saw this pretty, little petunia poking up through the rocks.  I didn’t plant it there, nor water it. I did nothing. How did this plant get so lovely in the harsh, unwelcoming environment? It’s as if the seed had the will to persevere, to push through and produce a beautiful plant. He probably would have preferred the flower box on the deck, with visits from my watering can.  That never happened, and yet he grew. I felt the Spirit whisper, “beautiful things will grow in your hard places too.”

Aren’t we like this little petunia when we face hard places in our lives?  We wonder how did we get here. We’d much rather be in a safe, secure, spot where we know what’s  expected and we’ll be attended to each day. Yet, it’s in these harsh places, we grow the most.

I reminded of a passage in Psalms.  It’s speaks of God causing growth in the earth, but I believe it applies to us as well.

You water it’s furrows abundantly,

You settle it ridges,

You soften it with showers,

You bless its growth                      Psalm 65:10

God desires to grow something beautiful in us, even in a harsh environment.  This Psalm speaks of Gods attentive, watchful eye. He sees us, even in the difficult season. More than just seeing us, He’s growing us.  He’s growing our faith and vision. He’s helping us to see His might, His wisdom, His goodness. We mistakenly assume we’re doing something wrong when life gets hard.  We perceive the blessing to be removed, when actually, God is creating something beautiful in you. He’s growing your character, He’s revealing more of Himself, as you move closer to Him.  

Don’t despise your hard places, for God is surely growing something beautiful in you.