BLOSSOM WHERE YOU ARE
The church was packed for the Easter Sunday
sermon that Reverend Pat Henry was about to deliver.
It has been said that Rev. Pat has the gift to heal
the sick through prayer.
Many years ago I was in the hospital recuperating
from abdominal surgery and experiencing great pain
in the process. With the laying of the hands
Rev. Pat prayed over me, and when he left my
hospital room that afternoon I remember feeling
a calmness wash over me that I'd never felt before.
So there I was, years later, fully recuperated
and healthy, surrounded by the beauty of Easter
lillies, but feeling a bit depleted in spirit.
As a writer my creative confidence was on the wane.
I hadn't written anything fulfilling in weeks,
which left a jumble of mix - matched stirrings
that had no focus, only a source of frustration
as I'd sit down to a blank computer screen.
When Rev. Pat finished reading the Gospel that
Easter Sunday morning, he stepped away from the
podium and walked towards the center aisle of
church. With out-stretched arms he faced the
standing room only crowd of church goers and
simply said:
"BLOSSOM WHERE YOU ARE."
He then bowed his head for a moment and returned
to the altar. There was no lengthy sermon, just
four little words that spoke volumes to my depressed
outlook. And in that moment I realized that God
had done it again!
Whenever I doubt myself, as I did that morning,
I ask God for a sign and He never disappoints
in sending me a message that lifts me up and
keeps me going. It was then that I was reminded
just how blessed I truly am.
Thanks to His gentle nudging I have persevered
in my writing career, even though there are times
I still imagine my mentors fulfilling every moment
of their lives with a wealth of creativity.
God has given me a gift, blessing me with a love
for words and a venue to share what's in my heart.
And when I doubt my abilities He finds a way to
reach my heart and touch my soul, as He did with
the soft spoken Reverend whose healing came with
the words to lift my sagging spirit.
We cannot look to others to define ourselves.
We all possess the rays of hope and potential that
cause our own personal stars to shine. How brightly
they shine is up to us.
The Lord chose the day we celebrate Jesus' rising
from the dead to compel me to rise above my own
stale set of circumstances that were weighing
me down.
"BLOSSOM WHERE YOU ARE!"
Those words of wisdom give me reason to look in
the mirror each morning and thank God for His
constant guidance and for His unending patience
to help me to not only accept the person I am,
but to strive to be the best of who I've yet to
become ~so that I may fully appreciate the person
I'm meant to be.
Kathy Whirity (c) 2004
Thank you so much Kathy,
for allowing me to share
your beautiful work.
To read more of Kathy's
work, please visit:
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