flowers appear

view from my window

It is spring.  One of my favorite things about spring is the flowers.  I was driving to work this morning and--this might sound weird--but as I was driving through all of the flowering trees--the magnolias, lilac bushes, dogwoods, etc--I felt like they were ministering to me.  Grace, beauty, renewal, LIFE... this is what flowers speak to me.

So in the spring, I just want to be WITH the flowers as much as possible.  I went to Longwood Gardens on Good Friday and I could have stood in the tulip walkway all day, taking in the colors, shapes, forms, all of it.  What beauty.  I love those flowers.

It's funny.  I find myself at the grocery store almost every day, either buying a cup of coffee, sushi for lunch, fresh strawberries, etc, etc, etc.  But now that it's spring, I end up buying something else too.  Tulips are on sale for $2 with the shopper's card.  I can't tell you how many times I've walked in there and walked out with a tulip.  They truly bring me joy.  I'm sitting at my desk now looking at the bright orange tulip I bought last week.  I think it's dying now... so my friend just went to the grocery store with my $2 and returned with a pretty pink hyacinth.  And this one smells lovely. =)

The other day, I walked in to my office to find a pretty purple flower sitting in a pot on my desk.  I didn't buy that one for myself, but it sure was pretty.  I walked around to everyone that I knew--"do you know who gave me this flower?"  Nobody fessed up.  I was told I had an admirer. =)  But I loved that flower more than any of the others.  It was a gift, an unexpected one.  Somebody, somewhere either knew or imagined my love for flowers (and the color purple!) and left one for me.  I loved that flower, and I was very sad when it died.

That pretty purple flower speaks to me a great lesson that my heart has been learning.  I love beauty.  Beauty speaks to me of the world that my heart was meant for, the world that one day I will live in--where nothing will be broken and everything will be in its fullness.  I so long to see glimpses of that world in the here and now--experience it, partake in it, savor it, sit in it for a while.  So I look for beauty, and I often stubbornly insist on finding it and easily feel disappointed when I don't.

So sometimes, I find myself at the grocery store with my $2 tulips, enjoying the (affordable) beauty that they bring!  But other times, I am just going about my daily business and I sit down at my desk to find a flower waiting for me.  Unexpected beauty in an unexpected gift.  I think it's the heart of the Father going out to me, speaking to me, "I know your heart, daughter.  I know what brings you joy.  And I delight to meet you in that place."  And I know He does.  I must admit that I love those pretty purple flowers the most-- the moments beyond human understanding, when the Supernatural seems to break through my world and tell me that He gets me, knows me, and is with me.

Choosing to live this life by faith in Jesus is not easy.  Some days, I wonder if I'm doing anything right or making an impact on anyone at all.  That's probably part of why I love to see the beauty in this world-- because it reminds me that yes, this really is my Father's world.  But there are moments that seem like Divine confirmation-- when an unexpected flower appears, an Eternal "yes" to my question, saying to me "yes, Bethany, you are my beloved daughter. With you I am well pleased."  Those times are my favorite.