No Shrinking Violets!

Violets have always been my favorite flower.  Not African violets, although I like them well enough.  I'm talking about the wildflowers, those shy little purple harbingers of spring that hide in the deadfall of leaves from last year, or that pop up in secluded shady spots. Something about the contrast between that purple and the deep green of the foliage draws my attention and my admiration.

A few years ago, I bought several English violet plants and put them in my garden.  These little flowers look exactly like the wild wood violets, but are blessed with an extra attraction - they have a delicate, sweet aroma.  Earlier this week I picked a nosegay of these, so I could take them to work and enjoy them all day.  I  knew I had a vase in my office, so I just laid the flowers in the cupholder of my car, planning to bring them in to the building with me.  But I forgot about them! When I went to my car after work that day, there lay my little bouquet, all wilted and limp.  Something about the way they looked, though, prompted me to put them in a small bowl of water when I got home.  And thirty minutes later, they looked fresh picked! Amazing, and I got to enjoy them for a little longer.

As I put the revived flowers in a vase, God brought a flood of thoughts to me.  Here's some of what He reminded me of:

*The living water of Jesus Christ is my beauty.

*God never forgets me, or leaves me unattended.  His refreshing presence is always with me.

*These little flowers went without sustenance for what, to them, is a long time.  Sometimes I am without sustenance as well, of my own choosing.  I neglect my Bible reading, or only give it halfhearted attention.  I give shorter and shorter time to prayer, or just go through the motions.  And consequently, I become wilted and limp, without energy or vitality. But just as the flowers were renewed and refreshed by returning to water, God brings new life to me - when I reconnect with Him.

 

*And yet one more lesson.  My flowers have already withered and been tossed away, but the life and restoration God gives me are eternal.  I am of more value to Him!

1 Peter 5:10-11

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.