Like Wildflowers…

I love wildflowers.  I remember looking out a backseat window as miles and miles of gray highway stretched out before me. I  was so excited when a patch of wildflowers appeared in the strips of grass in the median or on a hillside.  I loved the colors – red, yellow, orange, purple, pink – a rainbow of colors popping up out of nowhere.  It always brought a smile to my face and made that long, tiring road seem not so long and tiring.

Wildflowers are unique.  Each knows its beauty and knows its worth.  Each knows its important contribution, even as a single bloom in the middle of a vast field. What makes a field of wildflowers so beautiful is that the flowers are all different.  Purple and white striped, large-petaled flowers with a deep purple center growing in patches close to the ground. Yellow, rounded, full-petaled flowers perched on thick, green fuzzy stems growing in groups of three or four in an organized pattern. Red, small-petaled flowers growing in clusters, branching out in sporadic directions, tangling themselves in the others. Delicate balls of white flowers teetering on thin stems towering over the rest. Each one a part of the blanket bouquet but each one striking on its own.

I knew you before formed in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart. (Jeremiah 1:5)

Wildflowers bring joy.  No matter how grey the skies, no matter how barren the landscape, wildflowers bring a bit of happiness.  Their colorful presence in the middle of an often barren place has the power to bring a smile and a little hope to the hearts of those blessed to stumble upon them.  In nature, wildflowers are a welcome surprise in the middle of a journey and a splash of color in the middle of the mundane.  A bouquet of wildflowers, unlike a bouquet of roses, is remarkable in that the assortment is not impersonal, structured, and formed; but beautiful and messy in its naturally haphazard design.  A bouquet of wildflowers is often a reflection of how the giver of the bouquet feels about the one who receives it. It says “I love you” just as you are.

This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.  (Psalms 118:24)

Wildflowers stand their ground.  Wildflowers take root where other flowers wither away. Even as a single scarlet flower in the middle of a sea of indigo blooms; a wildflower is not afraid to stand tall and command attention.  A wildflower speaks its truth in all circumstances. Each one plays its part in the natural bouquet.  Each one is carefully designed, beautifully created, and could perform a solo act in nature, but when viewed as an ensemble … that chaotic, yet gorgeous, mix of color and form, is simply breathtaking.  The beauty of any ‘whole’ is only exemplified when the power of ‘one’ is not diminished within the larger body.

Stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. Because you know that your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Wildflowers pop up in unexpected places. Whether on a rocky ledge or the slightest strip of grass, wildflowers take root.  Wildflowers are unpredictable.  Wildflowers bypass the easy road and look for places left untouched.  Wildflowers seek out places in need of a fruitful harvest. I think God carries those wildflower seeds exactly where they need to be. Maybe He places them along those medians and hillsides to bring joy, like they did when I was a child.  Maybe He places them outside the office window of a stressed employee to remind her to stop and enjoy the moment.  Maybe He places them along the path through the cemetery so a grief-stricken passerby would remember to still look for beauty in this world.  Maybe He places them in the middle of a crack in the sidewalk so that a group of school children can examine the wonder of nature in the middle of the concrete jungle.

He makes beauty out of ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)

Wildflowers can change the landscape with a single seed.  Wildflowers spread quickly.  Some seeds drop to the earth from the flower’s petals. Some seeds are carried by the gentle breeze.  Near and far, they take root.  Then, the roots take hold.  The seedlings sprout.  The blossoms bloom.  More wildflowers grow and multiply.  More wildflowers spread and continue the chain reaction. Over and over and over again.  A single seed is capable of incredible change.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Wildflowers are amazing.

If you think about it, we should strive to be like wildflowers.  We should be confident in ourselves and happy just the way we are.  We should not change ourselves to be like those around us.  We should see the beauty in our uniqueness.  We should stand up for what we believe in. We should not be afraid to stand with others that do not think like us and raise our voices.  We should realize that we are stronger when we work together, despite our differences.  We should remember that we are all part of God’s wildflower bouquet and that we are more beautiful when we are gathered together. We should bring joy to those around us.  We should look for ways to lift the spirits of others.  Like the wildflowers bring color to barren places, we should spread joy by giving of ourselves to those in need.  We should show up when people need us most. We should stand by people when others do not.  We should help those who can’t help themselves.  We should understand the incredible power that God has given to us.  We may feel unworthy. We may feel weak.  We may feel like we are only one person and wonder what we could possibly do to make a difference in this great big world. When we feel that way, we should think about wildflowers…

Wildflowers are often overlooked.  Wildflowers are considered weeds by many and unwelcome in landscaped yards. Still, think about how strong and how capable they are, even if not appreciated and not noticed by others. Just like God chose Abraham, Jacob, and David, He has chosen you too.  Think about how one tiny seed can turn into a plant, then can turn into another plant, and then turn into a field of flowers.  Think about what that small act of compassion, that expression of kindness could do.  Think of the seeds that you can plant with the love with which God has filled your heart.  Think about the seeds that you plant and the seeds from those plants that God will carry through the wind to others.  Think about the power you have inside of you to change your life, the lives of those around you, and like that seed God carries with the wind; think about how you have the power to plant the seed of love that could change the world.

Think about it. Then, do it. Decide that you are going to plant a seed and start the change.

Remember, one simple act of love could change everything.

One simple act of love could spread, you know, like wildflowers.