Thursday, July 3, 2014

Does God Show Up In the Flower?



As I have shared in other occasions, I am not a gardener by any extent of the imagination. I do, however, appreciate nature, especially flowers. I LOVE lilies! They are my favorite by far. I think most of my fascination with this type of flower comes from the fact that they are perennials. I don’t really have to do a thing! That’s my kind of gardening : ) I thoroughly enjoy the marvel of seeing them pop out of the ground in the spring like magic…or divine intervention, I should say, the kind that only The Creator is able to perform. 

I love seeing the lilies grow and develop its buds. But of course, my favorite moment is when the first one opens up. The intensity of color, all neatly contained within one flower is a delight to my eyes. Only God can paint such a wonderful combination of colors onto the small canvas of a flower. 

Looking at my lilies made me think of a speaker I heard on the radio the other day. Don’t ask me who he was…all I know is that he was in the show called “Family Life Today” in Moody Radio. I just caught his final words, and something that stuck with me was this question: “Does God show up in the flower?” 

Hmm…

I am striving to live my Christian live intentionally, paying attention, focused on trying to see His hand in everything that happens to me and around me. But do I really see Him in the mundane details? Do I see Him…in the flower? Do I hear God’s voice in the beauty of my lilies? Better yet, do I see Him clearly and hear Him loud enough to point Him out to my children and those who walk alongside me in this life?

There is no excuse…even those who have never known about God can experience His revelation in nature…

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1: 20

Now, am I paying attention? Am I tuned into His frequency so sharply that I can appreciate how, without a doubt…

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19: 1-4

I know I fall short all the time. The good news is that we serve a loving, faithful and patient Lord and His mercies are new every day. Therefore, every day He gives us a new opportunity to recalibrate. With His help, we can become more and more intentional the longer we walk with Him. 

My lilies are not going to be around for a long time, though…so I better get out there and see, if as I contemplate their beauty, I can also discover His presence and discern His voice for He surely shows up in the flower, whether I am aware of it or not.

Linking with:  Graced Simplicity

2 comments:

  1. "do I see Him clearly and hear Him loud enough to point Him out to my children" This is what I strive for everyday! I fail a lot. Especially when I'm tired. And then there's the occasional eye rolling that I get from them, but, I know seeds are being planted and one day they will be thankful! I hang on to the promise that they won't depart from it! God is so good!

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    1. God is Good, indeed! All the time!!! The occasional "eye-rolling" comes with the territory : ) Praised be His Name that He gives you the sharp focus to point your children to Him. Thank you so much for visiting and for your comments!

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