Hidden Blooms

It was a chilly afternoon in early October, and Ben and Grandpa were out on the deck planting bulbs in flowerpots. Grandpa showed Ben how to bury the bulbs deep beneath heaps of soft, powdery compost.A week later, when Ben came to visit Grandpa again, he ran straight to the back door and looked eagerly for his daffodils and tulips. But all he saw was soil. "Why haven't my flowers grown, Grandpa?" he asked.Grandpa chuckled. "Don't worry. They'll be here in the spring! You just have to be patient.""The spring?" groaned Ben. "But that's forever!""It'll be here before you know it," said Grandpa.Winter weather arrived. Christmas came and went. And before long, Ben had forgotten all about his bulbs. Then one spring day, it happened."Ben, come look!" Grandpa said, beckoning Ben out to the deck.Ben gasped as he caught sight of his pot. It was filled with wonderful, colorful blooms! They looked so vibrant against the pale spring sky."Worth waiting for?" asked Grandpa. Ben nodded.Later that evening, Ben groaned as he tried to memorize his verse for church. He kept getting the words muddled up."What have you got there?" asked Grandpa, looking up from his crossword puzzle.Ben heaved a sigh. "It's a memory verse, but I can't seem to remember it!" He tossed the sheet of paper to one side and reached for his video game."You know," said Grandpa, "learning Bible verses is a bit like planting bulbs. You go out into the cold and bury bulbs in the earth, and then you wait. Nothing. And then you wait some more. Still nothing. And then one day, when you've almost forgotten about them, you turn around and there they are, poking their cheery little heads up out of the soil!"Ben looked out at his flowerpot and smiled. He was really glad he'd taken the time to plant the bulbs. "But how is that like learning verses?""As you meditate on God's Word, you bury it deep down in your heart so the Holy Spirit can use it to remind you of the truth and promises of Jesus. Sometimes you forget it's even there. But one day, the perfect verse pops into your head, just when you need it most! Don't give up, Ben. Keep learning those verses!"–Angela Jelf