The LORD himself will give his benefits; our land shall yield its increase. // Psalm 85:13
It was the beginning of our first summer in our new home. We had been gone on vacation for ten days, and pulled up to a backyard full of exploding rose bushes. Petals of soft pinks, magentas, and crimson reds, dripping with fresh rain drops. I couldn’t believe the abundance of beauty before my eyes. Beauty that someone else’s hands sowed the seeds for, and I was reaping the rewards.
As the summer months unfolded, so did many more blossoms of all kinds. Cascades of golden yarrow in July, dainty pink cosmos in August, and bright wildflowers through September. Many of them were my personal favorite varieties, and each of them were a complete surprise as they emerged from the soil.
Although I had high hopes of planting my own flowers earlier that spring after we moved in, God decided to gift me more flowers than I ever imagined that season. In fact, it was the second wettest year Colorado Springs had recorded in history. I did absolutely nothing, and yet the Master Gardener increased a little desire I had. He let glory bud and burst forth on my land.
Is this not the way the Lord chooses to work in our lives? We have our own ideas and plans of how we can bring our desires and dreams to fruition, but God is always in the background, plowing the soil, preparing something completely new and unexpected. As Psalm 85 reminds us in today’s Responsorial, He is the giver of good things, and He is the God Who increases.
Sister, do you believe that God is planting the seeds of glory in your life? Do you believe that He hears your desires, and does more than you could ever possibly do on your own? Today, ask for the grace to believe in the God Who increases.
Jana Zuniga Pingel is an artist and designer based in Colorado Springs, where she resides with her husband. She earned her B.A. in Studio Art from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. She is the founder and owner of January Jane Shop, an online boutique for Catholic art and goods. When she isn’t busy doing entrepreneurial things, she’s cooking a new recipe, hiking a mountain, or party planning.
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