“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror, but then face to face. No I know in part, but then I will know fully as I am fully known.” 1 Cor. 13:12

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I have a rose bed by my house. I enjoy watching the roses grow, bud and bloom. This spring, they have been especially prolific. I have a variety of colors and each one of these bushes have had a variety of blooms. Some are small, others large. Some are growing singularly, others are growing in clusters. Each of them have a basic pattern of growth. They begin as buds, the sepal peels back slowly and then the petals unfold to reveal the inner stigma and stamen.

When they bud I never know how big or complex the blooms will be. They remind me of how people grow and their lives unfold differently. Even if a rose is attacked by a bug or worm and the bud is somehow damaged, they still bloom albeit with some holes or flaws. And so it is with us, yet we let these things deter us from seeking what our life in full bloom really should be like.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul is describing the key to operating in our spiritual gifts is having the love of Christ operating in us. No matter what we may do, eventually it will fade away but there will be a time when we will meet our Maker face to face. When we stand before Him, will we be able to say we lived to the fullest of our potential, destiny and purpose? And even if we do, we need to understand that we will never fully know what that means until we meet Him at the judgment seat. At that point, everything, every mystery, every experience will be revealed to show us how our lives unfolded and for what purpose.

In the meantime, it is our duty to not covet one person’s blossoming for our own or bemoan another’s purpose for our own. Instead, it is better to appreciate the fullness of our own blooming life and appreciate the unique blooming of others as all are together in God’s garden and each has a unique place, time and season to bloom.