If God Cares so Wonderfully for the Flowers...

I spent a good part of the weekend planting my garden. It is an exercise I highly recommend to all 'Homemakers'!! Even if you don't know the first thing about gardening or don't have a yard...a pot will do. Digging your fingers through the rich, black soil and smelling the aroma of the water as it is sprinkled on the fresh dirt will excite all your senses. As I tilled the earth, a small bright green bug scooted across a plant. I marveled at the variety of colors that God painted on the impatients (a type of flower, not my need to hurry!!). They were colors that I never would mix together in my wardrobe, but they blended beautifully. The textures of the leaves varied from thorns to slick and almost plastic-like. I had to exercise much restraint at the nursery (where the flowers are grown and sold, not my baby's room of 30 years ago!). I had to read the label on many of the varieties to see if they could handle sun or shade or maybe a bit of both. Plants of all kinds reminded me of the intricate masterpieces that God has given us just to enjoy. They really are just here to beautify our surroundings. Matt 5:28 says "Why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are." Gardening is truly a humbling experience. I can not make the plants, I can not design their color or even encourage them to grow to a certain height. I can merely plant and water them in the way the label tells me to and then sit back and see the miracle take place. Verse 29 of Matt 5 goes on to say "if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!" (NLT) Do your faith a favor and buy a plant this spring. Plant it in a pot or start a small garden. Really take note of the miracle of growth and see how God treats each plant in its own special way. Realize how quickly the summer passes as your plant grows, blossoms and then quickly fades away. It might help you to pay more attention to each summer day, encourage you to use your senses and realize once again how God cares for each of us so wonderfully.