Thursday, January 27, 2011

Of Wildflowers and Gratefulness

Taking a thoughtful walk through a broad meadow, a young girl pauses to take in the world around her. As she drinks deeply of it all, a lone wildflower left over from the great burst of spring catches her eye. She wonders at its beauty, its tenacity. Approaching it, she stoops lower to marvel at the wildflower blushing purple. Its lovely face upturned toward heaven, expectant to receive the good gifts it receives every day... the dew, the sun, the breeze, the busy bees. Her thoughts turn to her own life, comparing herself to that one flower.

"God takes care of this flower, will He not much more care for me?"

"Interesting," she thinks, "how this little flower reflects faith and hope. How it has endured to the end of spring, stands alone and still has an upturned face. How beautiful it is, it seems almost grateful. Had I not taken the time to stop and look around me, I might have missed this precious gift. Funny, I had to stoop lower to really see all of this. I wonder if this is the way it works, if stooping lower is the path to gratefulness. Is stooping lower the only way to really see the good gifts? Surely there are gifts I receive everyday just like this flower. Even the gifts this flower receives are gifts that I receive I suppose."

"What is it that scripture says?" She pulls a small bible from her skirt pocket. Turning the pages to Matthew 6 she reads softly to herself, "Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!" (v. 28-30)

Humbled by the thought, she sits next to the flower to turn her own face heavenward and bows her heart in grateful praise.

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