Beautiful In Its Time

These delicate little flowers grow on a shamrock plant. There are purple shamrocks with light purple flowers and green ones with white flowers.

They are very active plants - each day the leaves open in the morning and close when it gets dark. My green shamrock became overgrown, so I cut it back and as you can see, it is already blooming and baby leaves are quickly growing back! 

The leaves will last awhile, but the flowers bloom delicately then wither quite soon. Grass and flowers of the field are often used in the Bible to remind us of the brevity of life. For example:

 ^"13As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts."  (Psalm 103:13-18)

 and again here:

²³ "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. ²⁴ For,

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is the word that was preached to you."  (1 Peter 1:23-25)

Like grass, people seem to flourish without effort for a time. It's quite hardy - grass regrows when mowed or chewed down, and springs back when stepped on. And flowers of the field are plentiful and beautiful:

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." (Luke 12:27)

 

It's humbling to be compared to grass, yet in our hearts we sense the truth. As time goes by we notice that people pass on, but the world continues. 

 

However the word of the Lord is not temporary, like our lives. It endures forever, and so does His love. We can take hold of something more powerful and lasting that makes part of us imperishable. We can read God's word and seek His love, taking within ourselves something that endures and is everlasting.

 

We each have our own beauty in our time - just like the flowers of the field, just like my shamrocks.

"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)

Eternity is set in our hearts for a reason, so that we will reach for and take hold of that which lasts.

 

* References are from the NIV
 

 

 

The Best Way Forward

Houseplants are common, but I recently realized I've owned this one since 1991... it has been around for more than half my life!

I discovered it left on the shelves at my (then) new office in an icecream pail, and wanting my space to look more professional I transplanted it to a nicer pot that my mother had stored in her basement. When I left that job a couple years later, the plant came along and has been with me since. 

Though we begin things with good intentions, we never know what will last. "Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well." (Ecclesiastes 11:6) 

Sometimes the path to follow will seem clear to us, especially if we invite God to help with our decisions: "This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." (Isaiah 48:17) 

At other times it's hard to discern the best way forward, but this should not stop us from trying. "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." (Proverbs 16:9) and "Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21). So even if our plans happen to point us in the wrong direction, the Lord will be involved in the outcome. For Christians, this can reassure us that we will never stray far off if we stay in relationship with God. For people who don't want His involvement, it may be a more cautionary verse - but still applies. 

There is yet another thing we can do to make our plans more successful: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."(Proverbs 15:22). So it is wise to run our ideas past someone else before we proceed with them. 

In summary, I never imagined this plant would outlast the job I had, the career I spent years pursuing, and the business I worked for back then. Nor did I ever think I would be writing about it years later. It seems the Lord had quite different purposes in mind for me than I planned for. So imagine a good future, talk to others and pray about it, and then begin to move forward. The Lord will either establish your steps, or intervene and redirect you in a new direction if that is what's best.

 * All references from the NIV