Tulip Surprise

Canada ~ where I live ~ celebrates its 150th birthday this year.
In honour of this event, scientists in Holland developed a beautiful specimen of a tulip to resemble our country's flag - red and white - and presented these tulips to Canada.
(There is a deep connection from war time between Holland and Canada, and Holland has blessed us with tulips for years.)
Without going into the history lesson, I can say that the gesture is beautiful.

There seems to be a little problem though. As spring has arrived and life has been breathed into nature again, flowers are beginning to bloom. And people are seeing that these magnificent tulips are not appearing the way they were expected.

Shifting thoughts here for a moment, (bear with me), I am reminded of the past few months. I have been involved in a fitness and wellness instructor course. The program ended with a retreat in Arizona, in the mountains. It was quite an amazing journey. One that I don't believe is over yet.
Here are some interesting thoughts on the matter:
~ I do not look 'fit'
~ I am not a 'type-A' personality
~ I have trouble speaking in front of a group of people
~ I feel things deeply and am easily moved
~ I second-guess myself and my abilities all the time
So, needless to say, if you asked the average person if they thought I'd be taking a fitness instructor course, they'd laugh.

But God.
He thinks differently than everyone else.

 " "For My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." " (Isaiah 55:8, NLT)

So this is God ~
~ He takes someone who does not look 'fit', who is more introverted than not, who weeps at things that break hearts, who wonders back and forth if the right choice has been made in a situation or if certain things are really achievable.
~ He takes a gal who dislikes flying and puts her on a plane.
~ He takes her heart and places it in His hand as He brings her through the desert to the mountains and He sits with her on a bench where He shows her that He is mighty in power and creativity.

I have wondered at His purpose for me in all this. You see, this instructor training was a gift. A free gift. I am still humbled and in awe at this fact. For years I have been feeling deeply that I was to be part of something big. I just didn't know what that meant. And now, on this side of the training course, almost certified as a Revelation Wellness Instructor, I still feel like I am to be part of something big. That this training was just dipping my toes into the water. God has not revealed His purpose in sending me quite yet. Not in its fullness. I still feel there is more. And I am at peace with that. If I trust Him, I can trust His ways.
His thoughts, not mine.
His ways, not mine.
And a scripture verse has been coming up frequently in this week after training, when I have been wondering, "Why did you send me, God? Why the gift? Why me? Surely there is someone more suitable to You."
But God.
"I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished ..." (Phil. 1:6, NLT)
He set me in the mountains of Arizona.
He met me in the mountains of Arizona.
He purposed me to be in the mountains of Arizona.
He purposed me. He is positioning me.
And to borrow a phrase I've used before, He has put me in this time, in the place He desires, so that I can bloom where I'm planted.
Who knows what God is up to here? Surely not I. But I wait, and while I wonder, I'm at peace.

I know that while I may not be the expected appearance for a fitness instructor, He sees beyond the human eye or opinion.
I know that while I may not be the expected personality for a fitness instructor, He knows my abilities better, as He built them into me.
I also know that fitness instructor training may have just been a stepping stone to another part of the garden.
I know that while I may not be what the world may expect, and at times what I may accept, He plants me in the rich soil of His love, provision, and faithfulness. For His glory.

And like those Canada sesquicentennial tulips, sometimes the unexpected is a surprise, but still pleasing. Still life-giving. Still hopeful. Still joyful.
Sometimes what unexpectedly appears is still something beautiful.
And sometimes, in the unexpected, is where God grows a flourishing garden.
Full of surprise tulips.