About a week before the January freeze, I walked outside to notice a beautiful bloom on my rose bush. The other parts of the plant had gone dormant, failing to thrive in the winter weather.

It’s easy to bloom when the conditions are right, isn’t it? But what about when life is bleak and nothing seems to be going our way? So often we rely too much on circumstances instead of God. We allow our circumstances to dictate whether or not we are going to have a good day.

What if we focused not on how much is going in our favor but instead redefine what a good day actually is to us. I want to present a two part challenge to you. The first thing is to make a list of things that you need in order to have a good day and be fruitful. Is it physical health? A roof over your head? Enough money to cover your basic needs? The second part of the challenge is to refuse to let anything else get you down. If something unfavorable happens, I want you to remember your list and be grateful. If something happens and one of the things on your list is in jeopardy, you have an excuse to stop blooming for a season; you have an excuse to go dormant. But until then, bloom.

Remember, spring blooms are beautiful, but they are also plentiful. A winter bloom is different, rare, special. The winter flower blooms only because it refused to be a victim of harsh conditions. So don’t wait for spring to bloom; the season for blooming is now.