If life were a flower shop I am convinced that we would all be happier. Not only would we be surrounded by beautiful things all day long, we may just start appreciating the smaller things in life. Those things that are ephemeral, but so important to the health of our souls. On certain Tuesdays I have the extreme pleasure of going to a giant flower warehouse and selecting flowers to sell at the farmer's market. I find myself entranzed by the number and selection of flowers. They range from your grocery store variety to the exotic. Every time I am completely overwhelmed. As my hands begin to go numb I still can't make myself leave until I have found the "perfect" combination of flowers for that day. Oblivious to the fact that I can see my breath and I may be contracting frostbite I continue to rumage.
The true joy though, comes after. When they have finished delicately laying my treasures in a large brown box. When they have finished wrapping it with that plastic cord, that is guaranteed not to break until you undo it yourself with one little tug. After they have loaded that box into the car and I am heading to the shop. This is when I feel the anticipation of what is about to follow. Filling buckets with water and eagerly unwrapping each bundle like I know it's the best Christmas present ever. Placing each bunch in cool water and labeling them with their unique beautiful, and sometimes creative names. Hypericum, and Snap Dragons, peonies, and hybiscus, sterling roses, ranunculus, statice, misty limonium, and tea roses. I cut the rubber bands off the stems and watch them snap, unwind, and fall to the ground. Separating the bundles only makes the flowers more beautiful. I begin assembling the bouquets and trimming the ends to just the right length.
Now here I have to interject one fact. I used to hate flowers. Let me rephrase that. I used to hate the cut flowers that you buy at stores. I felt they were frivolous. Why waste money on something that is going to die in 1-3 weeks? That was until I was exposed to their magic. The spell flowers casts on any mood. Well chosen flowers given at just the right time have the potential to change a life. I know that seems dramatic, but it's true. Why do you think flowers have become the traditional way to decorate every event from weddings to funerals? Why we still give flowers as hostest gifts, anniversary gifts, and birthday presents? Or the feeling you get when Spring arrives and you see all those tulips and daffodils blooming at last? When the world for that moment truly seems beautiful and things don't seem so bad afterall.
What about the way that a flower makes you want to slow down and appreciate life a little bit more. The way that they make you notice a house you've never seen before while driving to work? How women love to wear them in their hair, and children love to pick them. During this week's adventure to the flower warehouse and the 3 days that preceded I made a few realizations. All relating to my value to God. There are several verses that talk about how I am the apple of God's eye, and that He is enthralled by my beauty, and that although He clothes flowers in splendor He values me more. As I spend more time with flowers and with the One Who loves me, I see how delicate they are and how we are similar. Even the most hardy flower will not live forever, and neither will I.
But besides short life spans, there are other similarities. What if people were flowers? Maybe then we would have a better perspective on our own fraility and others. And maybe, just maybe, we would begin to grasp God's love for us. I mean would YOU die for a flower? Yet, in the perspective of eternity that's how short our life span is and about as helpful as we really are to the redemption story. God chose a bunch of flowers. What if we began to see people how God sees them? The beauty that each person contains? The differences? Just as every flower requires different amounts of water, sunlight, soil, and seasons. People require different amounts of attention, love, kindness, understanding, and patience. Just as God took such care in creating so many genres of flowers, He took infinite care in forming each and every person.
Ladies this part applies to you. I mean I'm a girl so my fellow sisters are who I feel the most capable of expressing myself to. Sister, you are a flower. You are beautiful. You are unique. You have been selected by the King and He delights in your beauty. He is enthralled with every detail of who you are. Just as we become entranced with the beauty of a beautiful flower arrangement (or at least I do), He is captivated by you. He knows how much "water" you need, how much "light", the type of "soil" you grow best in, and He tends to every need you have. Treating you with as much delicacy as you require. Pruning you as needed. And loving every response you make to His master touch.
Ladies, you were placed here to grace this world with beauty, creativity, and color. Sometimes you may feel like the world is overlooking you. That you are not valuable or worthy. How many people in this world overlook the things that are truly valuable? I mean, look at today's society. We have everyone so distracted. Everyone so preoccupied with the shiny baubles of this world. Everyone so desensitized to what is sacred. That many people do not take the time to relish in the things that truly contain beauty and life. Like women. You DO NOT have to make your "petals" more beautiful. You DO NOT have to slim down your "stem", or change the color of your "leaves". The King is ENTHRALLED with YOUR beauty.
The true King delights to just watch you. To see how you blossom and change from sunrise to sunrise. How you change from a dandelion into an orchid as the seasons change. As you allow Him to transform you from the inside out. Every morning we have the opportunity to open our petals to the Sun and bask in His love for us. To let His acceptance settle into our "roots" and just be. No competition just living. Flowers do not compete. They grow side by side, complement their fellow flowers in bouquets, and simply add their own flair wherever they are. It's like this. You are your own genre of flower. If I was a ranunculus I would be so sad if there were no snap dragons or anemones to keep me company. A bouquet, a variety of flowers, is always more stunning than one flower all on it's own. So whatever flower you are, be that. Bloom, unfurl, thrive where you are planted. And in time, when people, or a certain someone, is meant to discover your rare genus, you will be the discovery of their lifetime, and grace their home with beautiful color.
In the mean time don't try to be a rose when you may be a morning glory. You'll only start to fade in those conditions. Roses do not grow well in morning glory conditions and vice versa. So if you're feeling a little dry or over "sunned" maybe it's time to move to the shade? Make a few changes. And let the Master Gardener show you how to thrive.
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