She was stunned when she first came across it — a beautiful, delicate, small flower pushing through the hard earth. The Creator said it represented her heart. He had warned her she would feel pain as it grew, but she would experience deep joy as well.
Her Creator — whose eyes were continuously on her — smiled with joy when He saw her notice the flower peeking through the earth.
As she viewed it, she grimaced, recalling the intense, sharp pain she felt when the Creator worked to plant the seed into the hardened earth. Afterward, it throbbed, a dull and steady pain. She often doubted the love the Creator proclaimed to have for her. Why must it hurt so?
After He planted it, she would often visit the sacred plot. “I don’t see anything growing,” she would tell Him. He would look at her with eyes full of intense love, and he would say, “Wait and trust Me.”
She waited, often in disappointment because what she longed to see was slow in growing. She could feel the roots deepening, though the flower had yet to be seen. So she continued on the path the Creator led her down, and with every disappointment along the way, the roots of the plant deepened.
One morning, quite unexpectedly, she glimpsed a flower pushing through the earth. Its petals were a vibrant blue with violet tips and a yellow-white center. It was no ordinary flower. The petals appeared sturdy, and the stem was encased in an intricate sleeve laced with gold and silver.
“Its name is Trust,” said the Creator as she knelt by the flower, examining the beautiful petals.
The Creator chuckled when He saw the delicate way she examined the flower. He knew the flower’s petals would not be torn — they could not be torn. But she was not as confident.
After a thorough inspection, she said, “It’s small but strong.” She paused, hesitating. “It is beautiful, but it is so small … I endured so much pain to grow it. Shouldn’t it be bigger?”
The Creator smiled. “No, Beloved, that will come. Growth will be a little easier now. It will grow into a large, strong and beautiful flower in time.”
They sat together in silence for some time. She continued to examine the flower, transfixed.
Finally, the Creator asked her, “Did you feel it when the roots grew?”
She nodded. “Oh yes, I felt it during difficult and painful circumstances.”
“Yes, Trust is difficult to grow in some of my children. The roots must make it through the very hard ground of unbelief. It is a very painful process for you and for Me.”
“Where did the roots go?”
“They were growing toward the Spring of Living Water. That spring is what’s needed to sustain it. I had to send many storms to soften the hard ground, so the roots could make it to the spring.”
She nodded and quietly reflected on the trust that was slowly but surely overriding the doubt, confusion and pain that frequently attacked her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, recalling a verse from the Creator’s sacred text: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5).
Author’s note: I was introduced to a book titled “Hinds’ Feet in High Places” by Hannah Hurnard a few months ago. I absolutely fell in love with it. The book is an allegorical tale that tells the journey of Much Afraid and the Shepherd who leads her to the High Places, out of the Valley of Humiliation. So, in honor of the book I wrote this — my own allegorical-type story illustrating a personal journey of faith. As you read, please consider this: the Creator I mention in my story is God as He is revealed in the Bible. If you enjoy the style, I would encourage you to check out “Hinds’ Feet in High Places” by Hannah Hurnard. Enjoy!
