Recently, I had noticed that the flowers in my beautiful hanging basket had started to die off. Despite this, I couldn’t bring myself to toss them out, as I could still see a little life left in them. I have had these flowers for a few months, which is quite a while. Anytime it would storm I would frantically bring them inside. I was so afraid that they would get too much water from the rain and be taken out by the storms. Then, I decided that I would just let things be and chance it in the thunderstorms. Something wonderful happened, and my flowers started to come back and more life was being seen in them. The lightening and fresh rain nurtured them and they began to flourish. It got me thinking sometimes in the storms in our life we get so afraid and we just want to hide from them. But if we trust God through them, He has a way of nurturing us as we navigate them and helping us flourish through them. When we walk with the Lord through the storms, we can learn, grow, and bloom through them. Friend, we cannot always stop storms from happening, though with God we can be nourished with His care, we can grow through it, and we can bloom from the love in which He supplies. Outside is my hanging basket, with red flowers in bloom, that grew through the storms and came through them beautifully.

Erin Fitts-Brower

Growing through the storms

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.