flowers

just a few thoughts...

*******

anyone who knows me knows that i like flowers. a lot. i can't explain why i like them, because for except for use in bribery, they are completely useless. my (dominant) utilitarian side balks at the thought of spending money on something that is expensive, useless, and which will die in four days or less.

nevertheless, flowers usually get me thinking. why do i like them? it's simply because of their beauty. when i stare at a flower i realize: God made that flower just the way He wanted it. its purpose and highest calling is, simply and magnificently, to be beautiful.

with its poetic symmetry, perfumed stamens, and delicate boldness, a flower shouts to us that our God is truly beautiful; that he loves us enough to give us these millions of tiny tokens of his love; and that there is so much more to life than the practical. beauty is not primarily to be used. it is to be enjoyed, marveled at, appreciated, and loved. it points to something greater. the mystical qualities of beauty are a lot like those of music, but physical beauty is for our eyes instead of our ears. it is spiritual, and can't be accurately measured, completely described or fully understood. so despite a flower's seeming insignificance, it has been given the task of proclaiming the character and love of God, which is revealed through his creation (Romans 1:12).

God alone creates beauty. yes, we mortals can reproduce it through our canvas and clay and words on a page. but when you really consider it, all our attempts at creating beauty -- painting a sunset, for example -- only end up copying something that is already there. "Even King Solomon, in all his splendor, was not clothed like the lilies in the field."

so next time you drive by a ditch full of wild daisies or (if you're lucky) someone hands you a bouquet, you might stop and consider how each one is a gift from God...maybe useless; maybe not.