Unexpected Blessings
- Ashley Qurollo
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
June 26, 2025
For years I have tried to coax echinacea (purple coneflower) to grow in my yard. At one time, I had a lovely little patch of it growing in my front garden, but I lazily let the aggressive and bossy Black-eyed Susans take over the swath of earth that the coneflowers tried to inhabit. The Susans about choked the coneflowers until I realized what was going on, and I promptly ripped up countless Black-eyed Susans with the hopes of encouraging the echinacea to grow.
This year I looked on my front garden with sadness at my pitiful echinacea plants, once again reminded of my laziness and the consequences of it. But then something beautiful happened, like a gift out of nowhere and a reminder of God’s kindness even when I’m disappointed.
A few weeks ago, after dumping something into our burn pit, I spotted something marvelous to my eyes—an echinacea plant! I about couldn’t believe it. I think I squealed. I scrutinized the plant to make sure it wasn’t a Black-eyed Susan. Sure enough, the center stem was tall. The leaves were elongated. A pronounced cone raised its regal head. And finally, tinges of purple laced the edges of the petals. The plant was really and truly a purple coneflower! Days later, I realized that I had not one echinacea growing in the burn pit, but five!
Instantly the Lord whispered to my heart and mind that often His blessings are unexpected—they come when I am least looking and least deserving. I have tried and tried to plant echinacea in my yard, and then of all places, it starts to grow in an abandoned section of my yard.
God is just like that to send blessings when I am discouraged and have given up on something. So often I work and I work, and I try and try in an area of life, and when I’m met with failure or mediocre success I doubt, struggle, and complain. Yet sometimes I believe God lets me fail in my self-made attempts to remind me that I need Him and that every good thing truly comes from Him.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
God also wants me to know that without Him, I cannot truly accomplish anything worthwhile.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Life certainly has its share of disappointments, and what I particularly find upsetting is for hard work to either go to waste or not bear fruit. Yet even in these moments of discouragement, I’m reminded to look up at God and see His goodness. I think He allows these moments of lack to draw me back to Him and remind me just how much I need Him.
Friends, has something in life upset you? Are you sorrowing over something lost? May I encourage you to look for God. So often you will find His fingerprints in the least likely of places.
-Ashley
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Personal Disclosure
As the author of Ashley Qurollo Blog, all opinions are my own. Any possible applications are universal in nature, not directed at any one individual or people group. My sincere desire is to help others by sharing what I am learning. Nothing stated on this blog is ever intended to hurt others. Ashley Qurollo, owner of Ashley Qurollo Blog and Website, is not held liable in any way for any application of the ideas and thoughts stated here.
Aww, Ashley, your words were exactly what has been happening in my life! I loved reading this! There have been so many trials and spiritual battles raging in our lives these days, but yet God has shown Himself so faithful and true. How can we not praise Him? How can we not serve Him more faithfully! THANK YOU so much for sharing these beautiful scriptures and applications!
Dear Ashley, Thank you for the timely encouragement and reminder to wait on the Lord!
A lovely and inspiring set of thoughts! Thank you for sharing them with us.
Thank you for being real and honest, Ashley. Sometimes it's easy to look at bloggers like you and think they have it made and that everything works out for them. Thanks for keeping it real so that people like me don't get down.