Amaryllis plants do not bring me back to my childhood. If my mother had them, they obviously didn't leave any lasting impressions. Later in my life, however, when my grandmother was in the local nursing home, I do remember her receiving one. On my [most often] daily visits, we watched as the stem shot up out of the bulb and produced beautiful reddish orange blossoms. In her younger years, she had a yard full of flowers, and it brought her joy to have something blooming in her room!
Last year, my next door neighbor gave me an amaryllis plant for Christmas. I, too, enjoyed the beautiful flowers it provided in the midst of the cold winter months. On the box it was packaged in, there were instructions as to how it could be cared for over the year ahead to make it bloom again. Once the blossoms were spent, the stem was to be cut off, leaving the long leaves to grow until spring, when they could be moved outdoors and kept over the summer. Then in the fall, the leaves were also to be cut off, and the bulb stored away in a cool, dark place until November when it would be brought to light once again to start the whole process over.
Following these instructions, my Christmas gift from last year provided me with the gift of more blossoms this year! Technically, they didn't show up until the end of January, as I forgot to take the bulb out of the basement until the first part of December, so it took a bit longer for the blooms to develop.
What a blessing it was, and now the leaves are growing in my sun room until the weather is nice enough to return them to the outdoors for the summer.
As I shared my amaryllis story with a friend, she told me she had been given one but had no idea you could save them for the next year. And so it was I came into the possession of yet another amaryllis bulb. This one, however, was different. It had been marketed as a "no water" bulb at Christmas, and came bundled in a sock. The company said it was for "one season only" and should be discarded after the blooms were done. This is where the German side of me kicked in! "Let's see if I can't make it bloom again!"
When my friend brought me the bulb, the first thing I noticed was a waxy coating on the outside of the bulb. I removed this, as well as the metal stand at the bottom. My thought process was to attempt to get some roots growing from the bottom of the bulb, so I placed it in water. Sure enough, the roots started growing!
Shortly after this, my husband and I took a week long trip to see family in Colorado and Texas, and to attend a 40th anniversary concert put on by our singing friends of Acappella Ministries. Upon our return, I found the roots had grown even more, and there was another bonus waiting. . .a new shoot of blossoms had started to form!
The more I thought about these amaryllis bulbs, the more God spoke a lesson to my heart. In them I saw a picture of many people who come across our paths on a daily basis. Some are blooming brightly, and others are in a state of darkness. It seems they all are in need of one thing. . .some loving attention to either keep them "blooming" or to bring them out of their dark state back into another season of beauty.
As I pondered the process of making an amaryllis bloom, I found the most important elements are sunshine and water at the appropriate times. In the same way these bulbs need sunlight, people require a different kind of light. . .the Light of God's only SON, Jesus. Without Him in our life, it is impossible to bloom our brightest.
Throughout the Bible, we also read about the "Water of the Word" God has blessed us with. In Ephesians 5:23-24, Paul writes about Christ loving the church, giving Himself up for her to make her holy, and cleansing her by the "washing with water through the Word". One resource I found provided 100 Bible passages which referred to God's Word being like water. It seems we need to drink deeply by reading the Words of the Bible in order to grow and produce fruit as believers.
So, which stage of life do you find yourself in? Are you filled with the Son, and watered by His Word so you can produce a beautiful presence in the world? Or are you in the dark and seemingly empty state of the amaryllis bulb during the fall months, when no beauty can be found. Not even the green leaves are there to offer any hope of a returning to a blossoming state.
Fear not, dear Child of the Heavenly Father! It may be a dark season for you, but know deep inside God has placed within you the potential for another season of beauty, just as He does with the amaryllis! Surround yourself with the "Sonshine" of Jesus, and water regularly with His Word. Before long, you will once again find yourself filling the world with your own kind of beauty. Until then, know even in those "dark times", God is working to prepare your new season of growth.
"Throw me away!" said my friend's amaryllis bulb. At certain times of bipolar depression in my life, I have felt the same way. There seems to be no point in going on. . .until the cycle is over, and I once again am able to feel the warmth of God's Son, and drink deeply of His Word. I am so thankful for my friends and family who have never given up on me, and who patiently wait through the dark times for another season of beauty.
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