Rescued Geraniums

God gives us richly all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 NIV

During a recent trip to a discount chain for a few sale items that I'd run out of, I noticed a sad-looking row of geraniums standing off by themselves near the entrance to the store. Their leaves were discolored and tattered, their stems leggy and bare, and the white plastic pots that held them, looked sturdier than the plants themselves. It seemed that the eager retailers in their haste to get a jump on the growing season, had failed to consider the fluctuating temperature tantrums of early springtime in Illinois.

Past experience had taught me that geraniums are pretty forgiving plants, and I couldn't help but be impressed by their considerable will to live. So it was, that I set about choosing the healthiest two of the lot, my risk seemed minimal, given their newly discounted price tags of a dollar apiece. Eager to get to work, I paid for my sorry-looking acquisitions, loaded them into my van and drove them home with high hopes for a full recovery.

Caring for my new charges quickly became a favorite part of my daily routine. Each morning, armed with a steaming mug of freshly brewed coffee and my grandmother's battered old watering can, I'd step outside to feed them and measure our progress, as dappled patches of sunshine played at my feet and a heavenly chorus of birdsong filled the air.

Eventually, the first hopeful signs of good health returned. The tiny scalloped leaves grew full and glossy, and bare-necked stems began to fill in. In a matter of weeks, I had two lush plants covered with the brightest scarlet-red blooms I'd ever seen. I've had those plants for years now, they spend summers on my deck and winters in my kitchen window...a tangible daily reminder of how my Heavenly Father, in His infinite mercy, overlooks all of my flaws and sees only the beauty of the possibilities He's planted in me.

Dear Lord,
Help me to value the worth of things, not by their outward appearance, but by the seeds of beauty you've placed within them. For with Your TLC, all things can grow and bloom.