Deadheading

A few weeks ago, I bought some mums at Wal-Mart. I LOVE mums in the fall! The colors are absolutely gorgeous, and they will keep coming back year after year. And I especially love mums when they are on CLEARANCE! I scored a huge mum (like the one you sit out by your front door) for... wait for it... $2.50! I know, I should have bought like 20 of them, but alas, I didn't have room in my van. The kids needed somewhere to sit. They were beautiful yellow (one of my favorite colors!) and looked great out in front of my house.

But after a couple of weeks, the beautiful yellow flowers started turning a not-so-lovely brown. ~sigh~ So this morning, I started deadheading them.

Deadheading is where you pinch off the dead or dying blooms. Not only does it make your plant look better (and not like it's on it's last leg), but it encourages new growth. Get rid of the old and bring in the new. You can't always see the new growth right away, because sometimes it hasn't popped out yet. And sometimes you have to look really close because it's there but just hidden behind the dead blooms. But if you do the hard work of deadheading, and if you trust the process, the new growth WILL appear.

Deadheading plants is so much like life. We go through seasons. We go through relationships. We have changes. And sometimes, God asks us to do the hard work and deadhead some of those things that once were good. Here are some of the things I have found needed deadheading in my life.

1. A Calling - I spent many years in children's ministry. I loved it! It energized me and made me feel like I was about to jump out of my skin with excitement each week! I thought I would do it forever. But there came a new season, a slower season, where God pulled me out of that ministry. THAT, my friends, was HARD to deadhead! It's hard to KNOW without a doubt that you were called to something, and then to trust God and let go of it when the time comes and He calls you to something else. But God needed me to do the work of letting go of that good thing to make way for the NEW, BETTER thing He had for me. It has taken some great faith, because I couldn't see the good in it for a long time. But God is faithful! And because of my obedience, He has brought some new growth and calling in my life!

2. Friendships - There have been some relationships in my life that have been LIFE GIVING! Amazing friendships that were AMAZING! But there are some that, for whatever reason, are just toxic. Friends who just suck the energy right out of you. People who, even though you love them, just cause dread in your spirit when you think of seeing or talking to them. Sometimes our best efforts at being a great friend and being there for someone just don't work out. I have begun to be on guard for toxic relationships and deadhead those. Because even though it hurts to let go of people I love, God has such healing in it's place. (And believe me, ladies, you need some healing after a toxic relationship!) And God is faithful! He has brought into my life some of the greatest people, NEW FRIENDSHIPS, simply because I trusted Him.

3. Some Dreams - I have said for nearly my whole life that I am a gypsy at heart. My dream life is to travel the world. I really think I could move every 2 years and be perfectly happy. Living a life on the move, seeing new places, doing new things, trying new foods - that just speaks to me! But I finally realized that, even though that sounds like a ton of fun, that wasn't God's dream for me. He had MUCH BIGGER plans! So even though my dreams weren't really bad, they had to be deadheaded. THAT was really hard, too!! Because when you decide to give up a dream and trust that God has something better, but you can't see any of it right at that moment, it's really scary! I felt like I was giving up everything and would have nothing left! I mean, what are we without dreams?! But God is faithful! When I gave up MY dreams and started seeking HIS dreams for my life, He has opened up some new adventures I never thought of! And it's all from right here on my little plot of land. There are so many NEW dreams springing up in my heart, all of which are in line with what God wants for me. I gave up the good to have the BETTER.

There are so many other things in my life that have had to be deadheaded. As seasons change, we have to always be looking for what things need to go to make room for the new. The better. The BEST! What things are in your life right now that you need to move out to make some space for faith in whatever God has next for you? When you do the hard work and deadhead those things, you can see the new growth coming in right behind.