Flowers

There is definitely something about flowers that has a power over women. They go wild for these things, they sniff em, they look at them, they put them on display and keep them living. Guys if you want to make your significant other happy, go get them a bunch of flowers, when they ask why you got them tell them just because. They will love it, I know it. Its like their weakness, flowers are to women what kryptonite was to superman. Now don't get me wrong I think flowers are pretty cool too, I mean i think they are nice to look at, and i guess they smell kinda good, but i still dont get the whole flower thing and women. In all seriousness, flowers are amazing objects of beauty. The colors displayed in flowers are colors that seldom show in other parts of our world. Its exciting in spring when the buds start forming in your garden, or in different places in nature. When they blossom a whole new palette of colors is revealed to us. Every March thousands of people go down to Washington, DC to watch the cherry trees blossom. I have done it, and if you get a chance to go you should to, its quite beautiful. Simply put, flowers are beautiful.

Jesus used all types of object lessons while he taught his disciples and those who gathered to listen to him. He even taught about flowers. Now before we get into that, we have to realize who Jesus was. This was the Son of God, a God himself who came to the earth and became a man to save us from our sins. This was a man whose teachings flipped what everyone always knew to be true upside down. He made people think about how they lived, he changed hearts, and changed lives. Have you ever met someone that always seemed to say the right thing at the right time? Or someone that always had the right perspective on things? Maybe it was somoene who always gave you the right advice. Throughout our lives we meet people that are so influential and inspiring, we listen to every word they say in hopes of learning how they tick. In hopes of learning to live and be just like them. I think everyone has a person or two in their lives that they feel this way about. Now imagine what it was like to be with Jesus, what it was like to listen to God in the flesh talk, to give his viewpoint on things. I know that I would hang on every word he said, hoping to think just like him, see things just like him, be like him. When Jesus talked people listened, and when we read his words now we must listen. These are not just the words or a cool dude, or a nice guy, these are words of God. These words were not only meant for the people that surrounded him when he said them, they were meant for everyone everywhere every time. The words of Jesus did not pass away when he was done saying them, but these living breathing words of God speak to us everyday. Now what we must learn to do, is hang on his every word, listen to his every thought, in hopes that we can think like him, and be like him.

Ever think about what you would talk about if you ever met a celebrity you veiwed highly. Or ever thought what you would ask one of your heroes if you were able to meet them? Sometimes I think that I probably wouldnt know what to ask, but one thing is for sure, i would just listen, and soak up everything. And thats how we see most of the settings with Jesus, the disciples or someone else in his presence asks a question about something because they want to hear him speak, they want to learn from him. And then still other times they are all sitting with Jesus, i bet hoping to themselves that he will start to teach or talk about things of life. And when he did I bet they dropped what they were doing and listened.

At the beginning of Matthew 5, Jesus goes up on a mountain because he sees all these people following him, and knows that this is an opportunity for him to teach. And when he does people, sit, and people listen. During this sermon on the mount as we formally call it, Jesus gets on the subject of worry, and this is what he says:

27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

Ahh the flowers, specifically lillies. Have you ever seen a lilly before? There are all types, but if you have never seen one or arent sure what they are just do a google image search for lilly and then marvel at their beauty. In these flowers are colors hardly imaginable, and beauty barely fathomable. Jesus says look at the lillies, you think they ever worry about what they will wear, you think they worry about what they look like, yet they are clothed more beautiful than Solomon in all his glory. Now Solomon was an amazingly rich man, Solomon had it all, I imagine that Solomon was a pretty sharp dresser. Clothes of colored fabrics and jewels, this was expensive stuff. Solomon had everything anyone would ever want, and was probably a better dresser than anyone we have ever known, yet he still in all his glory wasnt clothed as beautiful as a lilly.

During our days on this earth, we all worry so much about everything. Jesus comes in and pretty much says, whats the point of worrying, did you ever know anyone who lived longer cause they worried. Its so easy for us to forget that God is in control, and he has already been to tomorrow and to next week, crazy huh? So why worry? On top of this overall call not to worry, Jesus specifically talks about what we wear and how we look. I think all of us would admit that we take too much time on earth worrying about what other people think about us. We buy new clothes, go on new diets, get plastic surgery, all in attempts to look better all in attempts to have a better image. Now dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with these things, but if we become overly concerned with how we look and how people perceive us, it can take our focus off of God, and put it on ourselves.

I think every one of us could look at ourselves and decide we dont like something about our appearance or we change clothes five times before leaving the house cause we dont want to be unfashionable. Now we would all agree that God has all the power in the universe, and that when he made the earth he made everything the way it was meant to be. Did you ever think that God made you just the way he wanted to? And he loves you so much for who you are? So often I think we try to become someone else to make people like us, specifically those of the opposite sex. But maybe God made you just how you were becasue there is someone who will see you and love every part of you, because you are who you are. You dont have to pretend to be someone you are not to impress people. You dont need to have this pair of shoes that sweatshirt or this purse to be attractive. You are attractive in the way you are. God knew what he was doing when he knit each one of us in our mothers wombs (Psalm 139:13). He made each one of us a certain way for a certain reason, to want to look different and be different is telling God he didnt know what he was doing when he made you, that he made a mistake. God knew what he was doing, and you are beautiful to him, every part of you.

We all could learn a lesson from flowers, one of the most beautiful things on this earth. Flowers dont worry about what they look like or how they are dressed, they just grow where they are planted, and be what they are. Hmm growing where we are planted, and being what we are, sounds spiritual to me. If we are rooted in God and his precepts, and living the life he intended us to live, whats the sense of worrying, we are right where we are supposed to be, and just who we were supposed to be.