Hey, everyone! Today I’m here with a long-overdue tag. This one is more of a spring-themed one, but I think I finally have some decent answers for the questions. I believe that’s why I’ve put off some of the tags I’ve been tagged in for so long- I lack good answers so I wait for inspiration. I still don’t feel very profound or anything, but I was trying to think about what to post this week and wasn’t coming up with anything really great, so I looked through my (20) drafts and decided to finally try this one. I hope you enjoy, or find something encouraging in it today!

HOW THE CHAIN WORKS

1. Copy the Bloom Tag questions into your blog
2. Answer them honestly (short or long—your choice)
3. Add your own “Final Bloom” reflection
4. Tag 3–7 other bloggers to continue the chain
5. Mention the creator (bellaspeculiartreasures.wordpress.com)
6. Mention where you received it from (so it keeps spreading)

THE BLOOM TAG QUESTIONS 🌻

SEED: What do you feel God is currently planting in your life?

SPROUT: What is God currently teaching you?

BLOOM: Where do you feel most grounded or closest to God right now?

WILDFLOWER: What is something unique about how God made you that you’re learning to accept or appreciate?

WILTED LEAF: What are you learning to release into God’s hands right now?

FINAL BLOOM: If your current season were a flower, what would it be—and what do you think God might be shaping in you through it?

SEED: What do you feel God is currently planting in your life?

What comes to mind for this one is that there have been certain verses that have stuck out to me lately that I need to apply to my life and try harder to live out. The verses or their messages are the “seed,” and I need to grow in them.

SPROUT: What is God currently teaching you?

Recently I have come to realize I probably don’t put as much faith and trust in God as I thought I did or I should. So I have been learning I need to trust Him with everything, and let Him be my everything. I also have read some verses that have stuck out to me about good works and doing everything in love. Which I think is rather hard to do, but it’s something I want to work on. I don’t want to stay where I’m at; I want to grow and become the best I can be for God. Here are the verses:

“Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim for godliness.”

1 Timothy 2:9-10

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:14

I feel that many of the things I do are good things, like my job and blogging and spending time with family, but I feel that I need to be more intentional about doing good works out of love for God and other people for the furthering of the kingdom. I believe God can and does use these things that are a part of my weekly routine, but I think I should focus more on doing good works that are more spontaneous and selfless. I was also specifically thankful for the reminder that my toil is not in vain.

BLOOM: Where do you feel most grounded or closest to God right now?

I feel that my prayer and Bible reading habits really help me stay grounded, but I also really feel that God is the anchor that’s pulling me back to Him when I start to drift too far. I might read a verse that sticks out to me, or a verse comes to my mind, and they aren’t always easy to accept or live out, but I believe it’s God and His love for me that keeps me “afloat.” When I choose to spend extra, intentional time with God by doing a Bible study or spending extra time in prayer than usual, I feel closer to God. That verse is so true about God drawing near to us when we first draw near to Him!

WILDFLOWER: What is something unique about how God made you that you’re learning to accept or appreciate?

Well, I have already accepted it, but I would say my quiet, introverted-ness. Many people are quiet and introverted, but I think it looks a little different for everyone who is, so in a way it is unique to me. I feel that it gets looked down on by many people, as if being that way means something is wrong with that person, but I believe wholeheartedly that it’s a personality trait and it’s how God made some people to be. So I have and am accepting that I am on the shy, quiet, and introverted side, and I am not going to try to change to appease anyone who thinks it’s a weakness or downside. I like that I’m not like everyone else. I like being unique. I like being me. And I don’t need to be liked by everyone.

WILTED LEAF: What are you learning to release into God’s hands right now?

My hopes and dreams and future. There are things I wish had already happened in my life by now that haven’t yet, and I sometimes feel discouraged in the waiting. There are also less long-term things that are more imminent that I need to decide about soon, and I don’t really know what to do about them. I pray and ask God for guidance, but I don’t always feel that He gives me a clear answer before I need to make the decision. I trust that He will work things out the way He wants them if I’m trying to obey Him, but I really want to do what He wants me to and am afraid of making the wrong decisions. So I am trying to trust God with everything without taking things into my own hands, and being patient while I’m waiting for certain things to happen (if they are even going to happen).

FINAL BLOOM: If your current season were a flower, what would it be—and what do you think God might be shaping in you through it?

I don’t know a ton about flowers or the names of very many, but since I must choose one I would pick a lily, because lilies, like this season of my life, are beautiful and enjoyable, but they’re not my ideal flower and it’s not my ideal season of life. I have a different favorite flower, even though I really like lilies. I have dreams for my life that haven’t happened yet, but I like this season of my life for now. I love the fragrance of lilies, and I love that this season of life is a pretty peaceful one.

As for what I think God is shaping in me through it, I suppose a more trusting and patient heart. Trusting in Him and His timing, that is.

My “final bloom”: I believe that all of us who are born again believers who are following and living to please the Lord are always growing. There is always room for growth in our hearts. We are always learning and there is always room for improvement in the way we live our lives. Sometimes even something about God or the Bible or ourselves we have known all or most of our lives comes to light in a different way for us or we gain a new perspective on it. God is the one who provides us with what we need- “water,” “sunlight,” “soil”… He is the one who grows us!

Well, I’m glad I finally came up with answers for this tag! I love being tagged for posts like this, and I feel so bad when I don’t get to them very quickly! This one has been in my drafts for at least a couple months. So thank you, Bella, for creating this lovely tag and for tagging me in it, and I’m sorry it took me so long! Please, everyone, go check out her blog; it’s one of my favorites!

I will tag some others, although I don’t know who all has already been tagged or if all of them do tags, and I also understand it’s quite well past spring, so I will by no means feel bad if no one I tag does it! But either way, go ahead and check out their blogs after checking out Bella’s! (-:

Maggie at https://valeriemarguerite.com/

Katja at https://littleblossomsforjesus.wordpress.com/

Karina at https://karinaschristianreads.wordpress.com/

What about you? What are you learning in this season of life? How are you growing? What flower would your life be comparable to for you? What are your thoughts on what I’ve shared today?

Thank you for being here today! I hope your day -and season of life- is filled with blessings!