2 springs ago, I found this beautiful lantana at the nursery. I loved it's sweet pink and yellow faces and it's heat resistant constitution. I planted 3 and they cheered up my flower bed all summer. Winter came, however, and life got hard for these little beauties. Where was the sun? How were they expected to survive the frigid temperatures (Comparatively speaking. We're in GA after all.) Two of my lovely friends gave up. They had done their part. A summer of constant blooms is quite enough to ask of a pretty face. But one brave flower sister fought the fight She dug in her roots and hung onto her place and returned triumphant in the spring. She didn't return as she began however, she came back stronger, taller and even more beautiful. Those roots had strengthened and had even more to give to the world. This summer, sweet lantana was the star of the garden show and a favorite with man and butterflies.
I was reminded of this story because my daughter and I were having a conversation about a rough time she had weathered. I was feeling all motherly sadness because of her trial. She explained to me, "[During that time] a lot of beautiful growth occurred. The Lord knows. I have total trust in him."
So that storm that came yesterday? That was an opportunity for beautiful growth. Broken heart, disappointment, hardship? It's all part of the beautiful growth that occurs when we trust God and keep walking in his path.
Thanks for teaching me, baby girl.
