Does He hold your watering can?

There is a sweet inspirational song that I recently listened to and the words have resonated strongly within my heart. In today's blog, I want to share my thoughts about the song and its application to our life on a daily basis. The song is Flowers by Samantha Ebert. Please take a moment and listen to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DDeSUxcTIY

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to this music or video.

Talking about our mental health can be very difficult sometimes, especially when we feel like we are in a valley. Unfortunately, life does not always consist of rainbows and butterflies. Life can deal us some pretty difficult blows and leave us wondering what just happened to us. We may start to feel disconnected and see anxiety creeping over the horizon. At that point, we begin proactively preparing ourself for the impending storm. Sometimes, we can maneuver the situation and sometimes we can not. We will not understand what is happening at the time, nor why it is happening, but in reality, God has a plan for our life. We will talk more about that in a minute.

Two of the 5 C's in mental health are compassion and care. Compassion occurs when we are kind and understanding to others and to OURSELVES. Realizing we are not perfect and will make mistakes is crucial. It is ok to not be perfect. We must be kind to ourselves and not be overly judgmental of ourselves. We must be mindful of our feelings and avoid placing overwhelming expectations on ourselves. Practicing self-compassion can help reduce anxiety and extend grace to ourselves so we are able to celebrate small achievements. Care, specifically self-care, provides us with opportunities to be proactive as we take steps toward fostering a positive environment around us so we better navigate difficult times. Obtaining professional care can be very instrumental in boosting our ability to reduce symptoms associated with depression. Do not try to figure it out all by yourself, talk to someone who will listen to you and help spiritually guide you through the rough times. Mental health awareness is not a one-size fits all but a varying journey that many people walk throughout their entire life. We must find what works for us and make it a routine part of our day.

Now, back to God's plan for our life, even in the valleys. In Isaiah 55:8-9. we are reminded that God's ways are not our ways and that His thoughts are not our thoughts. We may never understand the 'why' for what happens in our life, but we can surely trust that if we fully rely on God, He will do what is best for us. Fully relying on God requires unwavering trust in His plan. And the only way to do that is to listen to His voice and spend time with Him in prayer and worship. God never asked us to understand Him. He only asks us to trust Him.

I love this song, Flowers by Samantha Ebert, because she explains that there are valleys that we will go through and mountains that we will stand on. God's plan for our life is not linear but curving as a result of our relationship with Him and the crazy world around us. Samantha mentions that we may get stuck in a valley and wonder why God is keeping us there. But at the same time she reminds us that He is standing right there with us. He is a good God and has a good plan and holds our world and a watering can. Why a watering can? Because flowers don't grow without seeds and seeds can't grow without water. And we cannot grow without valleys in our life. Valleys help us appreciate mountains. And valleys usually help us grow spiritually so that when others seem to get stuck in their valley, we can help them through with our own watering can.

Water is life. Water needs to be shared. And it takes time for flowers to grow. And the storms in our life help us grow stronger. God blesses us so we can bless others. God allows us to grow so we can help others grow. Look around. You may be in a valley right now, but you will be on a mountaintop too! See where God places you so you can help others by having the same empathy and compassion that we needed during our growing time. Everybody needs someone. Be the person holding a watering can so you can help others grow in their relationship with Him. He is a good God and He has a good plan!