Beauty for Bulbs

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Luke 10:2

 
He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

I wanted to write today using this photo as the inspiration point. I was recently in Mount Vernon, Washington at the height of tulip blooming season. It seems that the tulips in this area are grown for their bulbs. Tulip bulbs were once so coveted that they could be used as a dowery for your daughter. 

The tulip festival was at one time just a weekend event but has grown in popularity to stretch over the entire month.   

 

This is one my favorite of the pictures that I took that early morning. It reminds me of how vast the harvest is. I found myself wondering what happens to these flowers. I wonder what their journey is from this point forward.   So I am gathering little tid bits as I search for those answers. One thing I discovered because these tulips will be sold for their bulbs once they bloom workers must walk row by row and pull out any that are the wrong color. No reds among the yellows. I was reading that each year they rotate the color of bulbs in the fields that helps assure that they are getting the fresh bulbs when they harvest them. 

 

I think it is interesting that the growers are harvesting the bulb. Its not the beautiful flower in the field but what is at the heart of the flower. Its bulb, and I think that God is far more interested in what is happening in our heart then how pretty our life may look.  

 

It seems that the workers have go through the fields when the petals are about to fall and top off the heads. This process is called Deadheading. The stems remain for another 3 weeks while the bulb soak in the nutrients. Workers then have to cut off the stems.  The tulips get dug out of the ground and hung in ventilated bags and are ready for fall planting. I am by no means an expert.  It seems tulip bulbs will last many years but you can only leave them in the ground for two years before they must be pulled and allowed to rest and be replanted in another location.  It seems they are not just a set it and forget it kind of flower.

 

Anyway to reel this in this morning. I am attempting to write shorter posts. This one is around 500 words. I have photos that I want to use as the inspiration point that should add the value of another 1000 words to some of these posts.  Thinking it might be my plan for the summer. If you have been following for a while I'd love to know what you think about this idea.

 

Much like a grower knows the process required to produce the best bulbs that will produce beautiful flowers. The Lord know when, and how, and where you will best bloom and grow.  As for harvesters, I'm not sure why they are in such short supply but it seems that one only need ask the Lord of the Harvest to send them when the time is right for harvesting.  

Prayer: 

Dear Lord, 

Lord help us to bloom and grow according to your plans and purposes. Lord you know where the  harvest are ripe and ready,  I pray that you send workers to help with those harvests. Lord if you are tugging on our hearts to go and help with your kingdom work, give us the courage to take that step of faith and to go.