Growth during times of stress

Is it hot and dry in your neighborhood? In May and June, heat and drought settled in like a persistent mosquito, irritating and impossible to escape from. Both people and plants drooped in blistering heat. We asked, “When is relief coming?” Yet it is often in these challenging trials that we can experience growth during times of stress.

Yard work serves as great therapy for me. I love the plethora of spring flowers that announce winter’s passing. With hopeful expectations, I planted many annuals this year to perpetuate color and beauty through the summer. But as blistering heat, supported by lack of rain, threatened to steal the life of my flowers, I determined to fight back.

My ammunition?

• Water
• Prevention
• Persistence
• Time

So, implementing my battle strategy, I watered early morning and late in the evening, avoiding the heat of the day. I mulched all the flower beds to delay loss of moisture. Even when hot, tired, and through episodes of, “Why am I doing this?” I persisted. And of course, all this took a lot of time.

Results?

Growth during times of stress

Yes! My flowers have grown and are lovely in spite of nature’s challenges. But what happens when persistence, determination, time, and caring aren’t enough?

In 2019, my husband developed prostate cancer. We sought medical treatment quickly and followed all recommendations by the medical team–surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

We prayed.

Yet nothing stopped the onslaught. Cancer has no mercy.

But even in this tragic trial there was growth. Together, we faced uncertainty and fear. Isolated by the pandemic, we, at first, felt alone, but God was with us. My husband and I had precious time together during this painful journey. We discussed the hard stuff, spoke openly about our feelings, and grew in faith.

The picture below is of an Angel Wing Begonia. A friend gave my husband a tiny cutting, just a few inches long. My husband kept it in water for several years, just a tiny sprig that rooted and craved an opportunity to grow.

He never planted it. After he died, I placed the tender flower into a small pot and nurtured it. Over the years since his death, I’ve repotted the plant several times. It’s over five feet tall now, a thick, healthy bush with strong limbs and lovely blossoms. In the winter it lives in the basement, and each spring, summer, and fall it joins my outdoor plants, growing taller and stronger.

Have you experienced growth in times of trial and stress? Perhaps you’re in that season now. Please let me know if I can pray for you.

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

P.S.

If you’ve not had a chance to check out my July newsletter for updates and great giveaways, I inserted the link below. If you have a friend who you think might enjoy, I invite you to share. Wishing you a blessed week, my friends.

July newsletter