Blooms of Beauty in 2016

Well, 2015 has left us in a rush of cold air and 2016 has begun. I can hear the booms and the pops of fireworks and shotguns going off. While I listen, I’m wondering, what have you decided your new year will look like? How will you embrace it?

I read a post by a friend of mine who said that she cried many tears in 2015, but that was okay because she just decided that those tears were “nourishing the seeds” that she sowed for 2016. She has declared that her harvest is coming. Yours is, too.

I’ve had my share of years that were less than desirable, too. Trust me. I can tell you some doozies. I spent over forty years shedding tears, worrying, and dealing with fears that were unfounded. In addition to that, my family and I suffered many losses, several happening in one year.

There are so many things we could dwell on. But what if we made the decision to be positive in 2016? What if we decided that all those tears we shed were just watering the seeds we planted?

So while I sit here watching a random ladybug on the wall (I just spotted it, go figure), I’m wondering about this harvest. What kind of seeds have you planted? What will you do with them?

Our words are little seeds that we plant in our lives and the lives of others. The positive ones grow wonderful things. The negative ones are like weeds, winding up and choking out the beautiful things that could have been. We have the choice to plant a beautiful harvest, or kill it off with the frost simply by the words we speak.

This year I’m deciding to make it a positive one, an encouraging one. There are so many promises in God’s Word that if we just took the time to read them we would discover such wonderful things to add to our life’s garden.

This year I’m going to watch for the blooms of beauty, because one of the promises God has made is that he would give us beauty for our ashes. And He sure knows I’ve had plenty of ashes.

It’s time for a beautiful year, don’t you think?

Happy New Year! Make this year the best one you’ve ever had!

Shelley Wilburn

Shelley Wilburn has been writing since the age of twelve. She loves stories and adventures, and often finds herself getting into mischief with any one of her six grandchildren. She has written several articles and devotionals over the years for various newspapers, women's magazines, and newsletters. She has also co-authored devotionals. Shelley began writing full-time in 2012 after being healed of over 40 years of depression and anxiety. Using her love of writing, and wearing mismatched socks, Shelley has developed a unique ministry of encouraging others using biblical truths and stories from her own personal life. When not writing, you can find Shelley and her husband of over 30 years, D.A. zipping down the road in their newest adventure-maker, a bright orange, Mustang convertible Shelley has laughingly dubbed The Pony.