I had such high hopes for the yellow sunflowers in my garden. When they appeared on their own, I was thrilled with their beauty and smiling faces in the middle of my lakefront garden.
Today as I glanced at them, I did a double take. They were droopy and forlorn as their bright heads edged toward the ground. I hadn’t planted them but felt that they were mine since they grew in my garden. I wanted to prop them up and tilt their blooms to the sky. That would be futile. There would be no beauty or growth—only dead blooms held up with stakes.
Those sagging flowers are like children God allows us to raise. They appear bright, shining, and full of life. We have high expectations. Unfortunately, for some there is addiction, depression, unplanned pregnancy, or open rebellion which demolish joy and contentment. Dreams are extinguished.
We try to prop them up and hope that everything will go back to normal. That doesn’t work. Nourishment and encouragement may help for a time. But only God makes lasting changes. We must relinquish control. When they decide to depend on Him, they will bloom and be transformed into new creatures.
My wild sunflower seeds will nourish birds and produce more flowers. If God does that with wild flowers, imagine what He can do with the lives of wayward children.
II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” NKJV
Our Father, take each wayward child and bring them to you. Comfort the waiting parents. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment