by Lisa Carter @LisaCarter27

My grandmother loved Christmas cacti. Her house was filled with a variety of pink, white and red cacti. A Christmas cactus is thus named because they usually bloom around the holidays.  My grandmother died over almost thirty years ago, but sprigs of her original cacti were rooted into thriving plants, which today are devotedly tended by her daughters and granddaughters.

A friend of mine has a family Christmas cactus that is eighty years old.  It’s huge. Visitors and family members alike monitor its vitality and continued longevity. Maybe a Christmas cactus isn’t important where you live. But many people have a Christmas cactus story—associated with a beloved family member or friend—among their treasured memories, too.

1. To consider the legacy I will leave.

With a cactus, you must be careful not to over or under water. Test the moisture in the soil of the plant with your finger. You must examine the plant’s surroundings. Humid environments require weekly watering. Dry climates demand watering every 2-3 days.

In the same way, God looks at the soil of my heart. He is able to provide just the right amount of whatever He deems I need.

2. To trust the sunshine and the rain from God’s hand.

During autumn, the cactus should be watered less frequently to achieve maximum bloom. I stop watering my cactus mid-September. The key to beautiful flowers is: proper lighting, correct temperatures, and limited moisture. During the day, my cactus remains in indirect light, but at night I exile the plant to the darkness of an interior bathroom. And amazingly, after the plant endures these months of seeming unending drought—about Thanksgiving, buds begin to appear. Come December, despite harsh conditions, radiant blooms erupt.

Likewise, sometimes God allows a period of drought in my writing life. I feel like I’m sitting alone in the dark. But I’m never alone. And when I place the situations of my darkest times upon the altar of obedience and praise, times of refreshing come.

3. Often, I bloom the brightest after a season of drought.

Cactus should be pruned about a month after blooming to encourage branching out. Usually after a season of blessing and productivity, I, too, can anticipate a pruning in my writing life. I do not relish this; but I’ve learned to expect it. Though it hurts, pruning and even rejection letters can promote new growth. And without it, neither I—nor the cactus—will ever achieve all we are capable of becoming.

4. Don’t fear the pruning.

Cutting off sections of cactus and planting into new soil can propagate entirely new plants. The blooming possibilities become exponential.

5. Be intentional in propagating growth in those around me.

 A decade ago, God put it on my heart to get serious about this secret dream of writing I’d had since I was a child. In fact, He compelled me to take the stories that had been swirling in my imagination and write them down.

In addition to writing, I do a lot of craft of writing teaching. I consider it a work of ministry to encourage and equip others in the writing gift God has bestowed upon them. So many people nurtured and continue to nurture me along my writing journey. I try to do the same by playing it forward.

Sometimes people stop reaching for their dreams because of fear of failure. Yet I am the living proof that there is no expiration date on dreams. God carefully orchestrated my experiences with the proper season and planted me at a place that would bring Him honor through my writing.

But the best thing about my cactus—

My Christmas cactus—started with such love by my grandmother and now carefully nurtured by me—sometimes blooms again, unexpectedly at Easter, too. Kind of how I want to live—as a repeat bloomer who blooms wherever God plants me, in all the seasons of my writing life for His glory.

I pray whatever growth cycle in which you find yourself that you will dare to dream, consider your legacy, step out of your comfort zone, be intentional, and bloom gloriously for Him.

How carefully are you tending the garden of your heart and your writing life? How will you “play it forward” by investing yourself in the God-given gifts of others to further His kingdom?

Multi-published author Lisa Carter likes to describe her romantic suspense novels as “Sweet Tea with a Slice of Murder.” A Vast and Gracious Tide released in June 2018. The Stronghold won a 2017 Daphne du Maurier. Under a Turquoise Skywon the 2015 Carol Award. Beyond the Cherokee Trail was a 4½ star Romantic Times Top Pick. She also has two contemporary romance series with Love Inspired. Lisa enjoys traveling and researching her next fictional adventure. When not writing, she loves spending time with family and teaching writing workshops. A native North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball.

Join the adventure at http://www.lisacarterauthor.com.

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