Despite being known as the driest place on the planet, every Spring in Chile (September), the Atacama Desert is covered in flowers. Some years the flowers are many, some others there are fewer. It all depends on the rain, they say.

At the Atacama Deser, the average rainfall is 15mm per year. Some weather stations in the area have never reported rainfall at all. However, when it receives higher rains, it blooms like a dream.

The blooming of incredible beautiful and colorful flowers is a periodic phenomenon in Chile’s Atacama Desert and known locally as desierto florido (flowering desert). It typically only happens every five to seven years. The desert contains a large number of flowers called perennials (and sometimes called ephemerals). The blooms, while striking, are characteristically short lived, due to the harsh desert environment.

Seeds in desert perennials can lie dormant for months or years. They are alive, but unseen. It’s only when rainwater washes the protective coating from the seeds that they begin to sprout. When Chile has torrential rainfalls, these create the perfect conditions for a indescribable bloom.

No human planted seeds in the desert. God did. The seeds just need a bit of rain (feeding) to cause the miracle of life in splendor that shows to everybody who cares to see it. Even in remote areas of the desert where nobody goes, there are flowers, and God rejoices in them.

The same with the seed that is planted in our hearts when we recognize what God did when He sent Jesus to take all our sins at the cross. We get God’s seed planted in our hearts, and a little bit of rain (reading His Word in the Bible) every day, can show in splendor to everybody how blessed and how loving we are to others. But even when we are alone, and feed the seed, our blooming causes rejoicing to our Father who sees us always.