Faith Like A Flower
Christians start out just like our early summer flowers. The hanging baskets, the huge flower pots and the individual flowers planted neatly in a row are watered on a regular basis. We are excited about them, how beautiful they are, how they look just right for the spot we chose and how beautifully they are growing. We continue to take special care of them, feeding and watering regularly, protecting them from the big storms and making sure they get to enjoy a fresh shower. Until late summer, the days have been dry and hot, our schedules have been busy and we start to skip watering. We count on the rains that don’t come, and soon we notice our flowers looking lifeless. They aren’t as full, the blooms are no longer bright and leaves are browning.
Christians tend to run this same course. We get excited about our faith, a new book, a bible study, a new ministry. We water it daily, working on ways to grow it and make it even more beautiful. Until we hit a dry patch, the heat of a long summer, and it starts to die off. Life gets busy and our enthusiasm slows way down. Unfortunately, those summer flowers get thrown away in the fall making way for pumpkins and mums. Are we willing to throw away our excitement for the Lord? Are we willing to let our faith die like a summer flower pot?
Friends, stay the course! Yes, there will be seasons of business and drought were we have to put in more effort to keep our faith blooming. There will be times when it seems there isn’t anything to get excited about. We will reach the last page of our exciting book, our bible studies will come to an end and the activity at church will pass. But our faith is here for a lifetime! Our faith is like an perennial plant that needs watered and taken care of day after day, year after year! We must stop treating it like an annual. We must keep watering even after the summer is gone.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the Glory both now and forever! Amen. -2 Peter 3:18