Budding, Blooming and Becoming the Person God Wants You to Be

Guest Post by Elizabeth Kraus, author and marketing expert. See end of post for her links.

As someone who became a born again Christian at an early age, I have often recited verses and heard more sermons than I could count on the themes of being content with what you have, waiting on God to act and turning all of my cares over to Him.

None of which run counter to this: “The day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” (Anais Nin)  Because sometimes God is working to build us up in the bud; but sometimes, He wants us to bloom.

Most people resist change to one degree or another. If you are comfortable, you have no need to change. If you are not scared, you have no motivation to change. If you are not hungry, you have no desire to change. If you are all of these things – completely comfortable, worry-free and perfectly satisfied – you should probably be worried; where is God working in your life?

Think about how much more beautiful and fragrant a blossom is than is its bud! If you remain in a tight little bud, you keep all of the gifts that God intended for you to give to others all to yourself. You keep in your beauty. You keep in the fragrance that your talent, your voice, your accomplishments will give to the world around you.

And yet, even knowing that the blossom is so much better than the bud, we are often too afraid of the work that will be required of us in order to blossom. Too afraid of the risks we will take, the hurts that may have to face, the road we have to travel. Sometimes merely knowing that the blossom is so much more than the bud is not enough.

It is the hunger for more, the fear of the negative personally, professionally or financially, or the almost unbearable discomfort that we need. We need the constant catalysts that lead to metamorphosis, to transformation. Sometimes, it must be more painful to remain in the bud than to take the measures needed to blossom.

Today, if you are not comfortable where you are; if you have fears, doubts, or simply desire to be more – if you believe there is more to life, love, work and happiness than “where you are” right now – love that discomfort, don’t resist it. See it as a gift and a sign from above. Don’t be afraid to step forward, even if you cannot see the whole way ahead. Let the disquiet lead to a place where you are more afraid not to blossom, than to do so!

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Elizabeth Kraus  is the owner of “Be InPulse branding, marketing and design.” She is the author of several blogs and books including 365 Days of Marketing, Make Over Your Marketing and 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa.  Believing that “everything is marketing,” she helps people understand how every organizational touch point represents an opportunity to build the brand of that organization for customers and other stakeholders.  www.12monthsofmarketing.net | www.facebook.com/elizabethanddan