Stand

Steve once asked me why I love sunflowers so much.  My answers came swiftly and without deliberation.

“I love sunflowers because they are so bright.  They bloom and they give much beauty.  They don’t need much attention:  you basically plant the seed and every once in a while, water it.  They don’t require weeding or coddling.  They grow tall and firm without need of anything to support them.”

I went on.  “They just stand there, faces bowed to the sun.  The winds and rain beat against them and yet, they don’t falter.  Oh sure, they might sway a little but basically?  No matter what life throws at them, they stand.  And when their season is over, they still stand.  They still drop their seeds and feed the birds.  They bow in the presence of the sun when it shines on them.  They know their place and they know their duty.  They stand-- and they do it beautifully.”

As children of the Lord, that is our job too.  Paul tell us in Ephesians 6 that we are in a battle but it’s not against flesh and blood.  Oh that we could see this!  All the fights and skirmishes and misplaced aggression that could be eliminated.  All the hurt feelings that could be avoided.  All the lies that weren’t listened to.  All the joy that would not have been stolen.

Friends, we are not promised tomorrow.  We aren’t even promised our next breaths.  Do we really want to waste them on ugly words, on hateful actions, or on negative thoughts that take us down roads of bitterness?  Why not choose today to be a sunflower?  Think on the whatsoevers that are true, right, holy, honest, pure, and lovely.  Stand, basking in the Son, heads held high when the storms of life rage.  Bear seeds that will feed the birds of the air and the appetites of those who are specially endowed with the taste of sunflower seeds.  Rely on Christ to nourish you, to sustain you, and to keep you upright.

You are the light of the world.  Rise like the sunflowers and shine.  Stand with your face toward the Son.  He’s there for you.  Be there for Him!

Broken and Beautiful

I have truly enjoyed my sunflowers this summer.  They have added light and beauty to my home and seeing them standing proudly, bowed slightly towards the sun, has added new dimensions to my appreciation for our Lord.

Last night when Steve and I got home, there was a full moon, shining down the road to the end of my ‘hood.  Wanting to capture its beauty and light, I quickly got my camera phone out and unsuccessfully tried to photograph it.  The light from it was just too intense for my feeble camera’s ability to truly show what wonder it was creating.  Knowing that the heat from the past few weeks has taken its toll on our vegetation, I meandered around to the side of the house to peek at what was left of my sunflowers.  You may think I am weird (and you wouldn’t be the first to do so) but the verse that popped into my head when I saw them was “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Yes, these former standing-tall flowers were now nearly spent.  Their seeds have long been used to feed the birds and other critters that may have gotten to eat a scrap morsel or two that those hungry feathered friends of ours left behind.  Ooh, that reminds me of when the Canaanite lady was sitting at Jesus’ feet, waiting for a crumb from the Master’s table from Matthew 15.  She had asked Him for help and he replied that He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel.  Her response to this caused a great reaction in Jesus and in those around Him:

The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.

“He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."  

"Yes it is, Lord," she said. "Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table."

Then Jesus said to her, "Woman, you have great faith! Your

request is granted." And her daughter was healed at that

moment.”  

Faith. What a tremendous word.  

Take one last look at my sunflowers.  They will soon be pruned down and perhaps they will take root over the winter months as they slumber and when spring comes?  Oh, how tremendous it would be to see them shoot up and grow strong and tall once again!

Notice in particular the sunflower on the far right.  Do you see it?  Stooped over.  Broken, yet still bowing down to its creator.  Its work not done completely yet, it takes a final opportunity to pay homage to the Lord, to the Son, to remind me again that I am to do the same.  As my bones age and bend, may my soul maintain the beauty once given to it.  May my seed continue producing long after my eternal body is gone.  May my faded beauty still shine as brightly as possible for my Maker.

Son, Go Bring My Children Home

The other day, this kid I know was mesmerized by my sunflowers.  They’ve grown so much these past two months and he wanted to know just how big the biggest one was.  He borrowed a tape measure from Steve and went out to get the specs.  A few minutes later, he came in and told me about the width and height of my sunflower.  After agreeing with him that it was probably the largest one out there, we went on about our business and I just chalked it up as to natural curiosity and “what will they think of next” questions that kids ask.

But then today, in my personal Bible study this morning, I came upon these verses from Ephesians 3:14-19:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

As I too ponder on the wonders of God, of creation, these verses show that man has been pondering them for centuries.  The breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of God is unfathomable, isn’t it?  The Grand Canyon, The Sedona, and the Rocky Mountains were places I was fortunate enough to visit earlier this spring.  I am blessed to live in the mountains of North Carolina and their beauty is one I consistently marvel at.  Don’t even get me started on the sunrises and gorgeous sunsets I get to witness as often as I take the time to do so!

But all of this beauty is nothing compared to the amazement I have that God loves me, that He chose me knowing how rotten I was and how much my inadequacies would hold me back from being all He wants me to be.  I’ve struggled for years with issues of not being good enough.  I’ve felt a void in my life for as long as I can remember, a sense of not being whole.  Day by day, that hole is being filled yet it also is growing at the same time.  The love and lessons I learn through creation, through studying God’s Word, and spending time with His people fills my soul with those good, true, noble, lovely, pure, and admirable things He has designed for me.  However, until I am united with God, that sense of emptiness will never go away.  The feeling of being incomplete will not change until my Lord calls me home and I get to snuggle up next to Him, hear His stories from His own mouth, hold His hand in mine, and just bask in the presence of my Lord and Saviour.  Ahh, what a day that will be!

Let’s pray.

Dear Father, I again thank You for my sunflowers.  Who knew what a tiny packet of seeds would produce in my life?  

You did, of course!  So many lessons You have taught me this summer, Father, about life, about growth, and about beauty in all its forms.  While down here we as man will continue trying to label and calculate all the good things You give, we will fall short because Your love cannot be measured.  Oh for the day You call us to You, God, when You say to Jesus, “Son, go bring My children home for I want them gathered ‘round my throne.  It’s time to reap the harvest You have sown.  Son, go bring My children home.”

Even so, come Lord Jesus.  It’s in Your precious name I pray.  Amen!

Sunflowers

A few days ago, the hubs and I decided it was time to delve into those Fruits of the Spirit verses.  We’d been pondering them for a while and have been doing some brief discussing of them.  However, as we began to read the verses, we had to backtrack to the ones before which in many forms tells us all the things that are not of the Spirit.  And let me tell you, there are a lot of them!  Suffice it to say that we shall be in this passage for a while!

Today as I was mowing, I came around the side of the house.  It took a few times for me to stop concentrating on all of the grass and to check out my scenery.  Imagine my delight and surprise as when I was making a round on the side yard to see a glimpse of yellow.  Hurriedly, I plowed down the patch in front of me as I anxiously made my way back to the little garden of sunflowers we had planted a month or so ago.  Yes:  there it was!  A glimpse of bright yellow, almost orange caught my eye!

“Oh thank You, Lord!” my heart sang and I couldn’t wait to make the next lap.  You see, we’d been watching these plants grow rapidly these past two weeks and wondered when their flowers would open.  Today was the day--well, at least for two of them.

Not quite sure if sunflowers were indeed a fruit, I checked to see and the explanation given was that the seeds are a fruit of the sunflower.  Okay, that works for me and for the blog today.  Just as it is often hard to tell if a work done by a soul is from Christ or from the flesh, sunflower seeds can get a bum rap.  Some say they are a fruit while others will tell you they aren’t.  I mean, after all, aren’t humans basically good, kind, loving, and peaceable?  Don’t we strive to be gentle, patient, and practice self-control?  What makes these "fruits” any different than those that are revealed, that are evident when we become children of God?

I think it’s the faith.  For without faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Even the most rotten of us can exhibit kind characteristics, right?  However, when we are doing them supernaturally as an offshoot of the Vine to Which we cling?  Ahh, that’s the difference, my friends, don’t you think?  When we do them in response to the ways of the world in order to please God and to not further our own agendas?  That is when I believe we are most fruity!

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, as this study continues to show me different aspects of You, I ask that You help me to develop these traits supernaturally and take away all of my flesh.  Too often I get caught up in trying to do the right thing but sometimes...sometimes, Lord, my motives are questionable.  Well-intentioned, surely, but perhaps not eternally based.

Thank You for my sunflowers!  I am excited to see that patch slowly open and share its brilliance with my neighborhood.  May I too bloom brightly so that others may see You in me is my prayer.  In the name of Jesus:  amen.