“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11
The lady slippers are out!
To the discerning eye, the ditches in these parts are dotted with yellow this time of year. Dandelions there are aplenty, but if you look closer, you will find the unexpected.
Wild orchids!
Each wee bloom resembles a delicate ballet slipper, complete with ‘tie straps’. They appear almost from nowhere, their leaves appearing a few weeks before the blossoms. They proudly hold their flowers above the heads of the grasses and weeds, creating a breathtaking display when several clumps grow in close proximity.
In the middle of thistles, dandelions, and quack grass, exquisite and rare beauty.
It reminds me to look for beauty in strange places. Who would have thought that orchids would bloom freely in ditches?
How unexpected.
How refreshing…
You and I were designed to be beautiful, too. We must grow where we are planted – in ditches full of weeds, as it so happens. When we have the hand of God in our lives, we are to declare and spread the glory and delights of a God who loves impossibly big, forgives impossibly deep, gifts impossibly richly.
The world we live in is – well, challenging. The thistles of selfish choices and corporate greed and pollution and corruption are so plentiful. They spread aggressively. They may be all we see or have contact with on some days.
Which is why it’s so important for you and I to bloom!
Be an unexpected sight if beauty with me today?
Father, You created us to spread joy, grace, and reflect Your love to a world that has forgotten Your character and design. Teach us how to reflect Your glory and bloom beautifully wherever we are planted today. Amen.
Growing in Grace 