Dormant Doesn’t Mean Dead

By: Lorrene McClymont

Have you ever had a dream that God has given you that you have given up on?

It feels like you have been waiting so long that it is dead and buried. But what if it isn’t dead? What if the dream is lying dormant?

Every March in the area we live in, beautiful pink Easter Lilies, also known as Belladonna Lilies, pop up.  They always catch my eye. They bloom for a season, then are gone until the next year. Just because I can’t see their beautiful flowers doesn’t mean they are gone forever. They are just dormant. 

Dormant Season

Many plants have a dormant season, including Easter Lilies. The season’s flower dies off, but the bulb remains. In the bulb is everything that the plant needs to grow again, when conditions are right. 

A dormant season isn’t a waste. The bulb is deep in the earth, absorbing the nutrients that it needs. It’s removing waste from the season that’s been and preparing to grow again. Dormancy protects the plant from extreme temperatures and allows root development in preparation for the coming season. 

Our dreams are often like that. I have wanted to write for as long as I can remember. When I was in my teenage years, I used to write children’s books in my head, plan stories, and write poetry as a creative outlet. I wanted to write more publicly, but I never felt like it was the right time. As time went by, I would write journals, blogs, and stories. It was a way of processing, but I never published anything publicly until the last few years. 

When I think about why I didn’t do it before now, it feels like a season of dormancy. God was preparing me. Many things needed some work for it to be the right time, myself included. Ten years ago, I would have wilted at the first sign of criticism. I was too insecure to give my work to others for feedback, so I could improve. My self-image was so poor that I thought no one would care about anything I had to say. I was not ready to write then, and it would have crushed something so precious in my life before it even began. A season of dormancy has allowed for sustainability. 

Strengthen Our Roots

Sometimes it feels so long since we had the promise from God or felt hope that the dream in our heart could be achievable, that we give up on it. We think it’s dead and buried, and there is no hope for us. Trust that there is a right time for you, and the waiting is enabling you to prepare. In dormancy, we can strengthen our roots, learn to trust God deeply, and work on ourselves. If you are waiting to start working towards a dream, consider that it may not be dead; it’s just dormant.