Yep, I said it.

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote by now “One day you will look back and see that all along you were blooming.” I have to disagree with this statement. We typically use it as an anchor during tough, or stagnant times. I think it’s equally important to recognize that we could very well be going through our season of cultivation, which does not necessarily equate to flourishing or blooming.

I’m a words person, so I tend to look at definitions and origins to help me understand how to use my words to speak to myself and others. We’ll look at two words: Cultivate and Bloom

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BLOOM

/bloom/

To produce flowers

CULTIVATE

/’kelte,vat/

To prepare and use land for gardening

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“We must cultivate, or prepare, before we can claim that we are blooming.”

— ANISA NAOMI

You’ll notice that when something is blooming, or in bloom - it is in a state of production. Meaning, that there is something to show for that particular stage of the process. Often times we try to tell ourselves that we are blooming when we are NOT seeing results. We are recognizing that to flourish and produce something of high quality, we must go through a process. However, our steps might be out of order. We must cultivate, or prepare, before we can claim that we are blooming.

I’ll use myself for an example. At the top of this year, i would have told you that 2018 was going to be my fruit bearing season. After 3, 6, now 10 months into this year,  I would say that I have not produced any fruit. From the outside looking in, it feels as if I have been spiritually stagnant. I set out to study each of the fruit of the spirit and put together a practical plan to bear each one of these respective fruit. Let’s just say that I am far from this goal.

This year has been a true test of the foundation of my faith. The Holy Spirit has tilled my soul. He has broken up my spiritual soil to reveal a fresh heart, ready and willing to receive the seeds of the fruit of the spirit. There were times where I felt inadequate, incapable and unworthy to be responsible for the blessings that God was sending my way. I wanted more than anything to run from them and leave the responsibility to someone older or more experienced. But I stayed. And I prayed.

I prayed that God would give me the humble confidence to rely on the holy spirit to carry me through this season of my life. And during this time I was telling myself that I was blooming and that one day I would look up and I would be flourishing. As if a garden goes from being completely barren to being filled with thriving flowers. No. That’s not how it works. So I’ve accepted the fact that 2018 was a year of preparation. I’ve accepted that 2019 very well might be the same and that I’m not in control of when I bloom. But what I do know is this, that when I blossom - it will be overtly evident to anyone that I come in contact with, that the spirit is in full bloom within my soul.

MY PRAYER FOR YOU…

My prayer for you is this, that you would recognize when the holy spirit is preparing you for your season of bloom. I pray that you will accept the cultivation as a necessary part of the process. I pray that you are reminded that God is always working on you and he has you exactly where he needs you in order to impact his kingdom the way that he created you to. Don’t run from the blessings he sends your way because you lack the credentials or the know-how. Be humbly confident in the power of the holy spirit and trust that where you are incapable, he is capable beyond measure.

Yours in progress,

Anisa Naomi

Last year was a year of serious growth for me. I matured in my personal and professional life; most importantly, I grew my relationship with God. I attribute that growth to a couple of things, the main one is that God tugged on my heart and sought my face in such an intense manner that I spent time with him even when I didn’t have a distinct desire to do so. Another reason for this growth was my intentional decision to start each day with an attitude of gratitude.

I literally started counting my blessings. I thanked God for the morning sun, the chirping birds, coffee, bubble baths, wine, my mom, my dad, my nephews, my brothers, my sister, and my brother-in-law. I thanked God for my job, for my check, for my apartment, my groceries, my roommate, my car. I thanked God for my co-workers, my old friends, my new friends, my best friends, and my boyfriend.

I approached every situation with an unreal, and initially insincere, amount of gratitude. My philosophy was, and still is, fake it ‘til you make it. As you fake gratitude – or whatever new mindset or attitude you wish to achieve, you start to train yourself and even trick yourself into actually being grateful and adopting that new mindset. By taking the simple step of actively thanking God for what He has provided for me, I significantly increased my quality of life. Here’s what I learned when I adopted an attitude of gratitude:

Lesson #1: You have way more than you think you do

It’s interesting, when I started actively thanking God for my blessings, I realized, I was mostly thankful for intangibles or naturals. Meaning I was thankful for the birds and the sun. I was thankful for that feeling you get when you check everything off of your to-do list. I was thankful for my senses – the ability to smell and see everything that God has created. 

Lesson #2: We take a lot for granted

Some things started to pop up that I might have initially been extremely grateful for, but as time went on and novelty wore off, I began to take them for granted. Things like my car, my laptop, my apartment, my job, etc. I started to see the flaws and hassle that comes with maintaining all of these things and found myself complaining about the work that came with my blessings. When I intentionally shifted my focus to be grateful for these things, I recognized every segment of my life that these items affected.

I have a car to get me from point A to point B, I have a laptop that allows me to share my voice on my own platform, I have a place to call home and a job that provides me with the ability to live comfortably.

The next time you start to complain about getting an oil change or how slow your computer is running, stop and shift into an attitude of gratefulness. Before you go off about your apartment management or complain about your job remember that you have a place to call home and the means to provide for yourself.

Lesson #3: By training my heart to be thankful, I made room for God

God enjoys a grateful heart. The more I turn my heart towards thanking Him, the more I noticed Him taking up residence in my heart. God’s will is for us to be thankful in every situation, to find the sunshine in the rain. When we make it a point to do that, He wants to dwell in us and when He dwells in us we reach the pinnacle of peace in whatever situation we are facing.

It is safe to say that shifting my focus to be grateful within my circumstances has immensely changed my way of thinking. I’ve learned to see the blessing when I’m tempted to complain. I’ve learned to wonder at everyday things, I’ve learned to take joy in the song of a bird and the rays of the sun. I have taught my heart to be grateful and furnished it to be a fit place for my KING to reside in. I have discovered an indescribable level of peace that comes with resting in the presence of my all-sufficient God who blesses me in ways that I sometimes fail to notice.

So the next time you find yourself wanting to complain, do yourself a favor and start counting your blessings. I promise you, it’ll change ya life ;)