Christian Living: Consider The Lilies

Whenever I feel anxious and weird in my spirit, nature is one of the most effective tools God uses to calm my spirit and teach me lessons. After a long day at work, I’ll sometimes drive into the country, park my car and just stare at the sky. I don’t have a garden yet but I make sure to have a piece of nature in my apt once a month in the form of fresh flowers. Flowers have a way of brightening up my place and I appreciate their beauty.

 God recently used three lilies to give me some great reminders to apply to my life. I normally buy a bouquet of the same flower, but on one occasion I purchased an exciting, mixed bouquet. Unfortunately, the mixed bouquet started to look a little creepy after two days. Some flowers hadn’t opened up yet and some flowers were already dying. I attempted to revive the bouquet but nothing worked. However, I noticed that three of the lilies in the bunch were still closed.  So before I went to bed, I pulled the closed lilies, placed them in an old glass bottle and placed the new bouquet on the bathroom countertop.  I figured if I couldn’t get all the flowers to look good together, it’d be best to split them up.

The next morning, I woke up to another episode of “Guess who’s questioning God today?”(It’s not something I recommend you tune in for. It’s not pretty). I was extremely unsettled and just wanted even MORE reassurance from God about an impending situation in my life.  I tried to shrug off my feelings and go on with my morning routine. I was so unsuccessful that at one point, I stopped what I was and simply cried out, “Jesus! I’m such a mess!” In the following moment, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to go to the bathroom.  As I entered the bathroom and turned on the light, I discovered that the first of the three lilies beautifully opened up overnight. “Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these”(Luke 12:27, NLT). This verse immediately came to mind and my heart felt settled. God lovingly gave me four simple reminders through that first blossoming lily.

1.     Luke 12: 22-34 elaborates on how much God is in control and how we shouldn’t worry. If He cares about the details of simple lilies in a field, rest assured that he cares about the details of a life that he died to save. RELAX. Stop worrying. Everything is going to be okay. After all, when you worry, you’re practicing atheism because you’re saying there is no God and my fate depends on me. Talk about a monkey wrench in your faith!

2.     I moved the lilies out of the mixed bouquet and placed them in a different vase in a different room. Sometimes you have to be pulled out of an old environment and placed in a new one so that your full potential can be seen, reached and appreciated. Don’t fight the move of God.

3.     God can use ANYTHING and ANYONE. If a simple lily could inspire such relevant lessons to a woman, how much more can God use a woman to share relevant lessons to a dying world?

4.     Only one of the lilies blossomed while the other two were still somewhat closed. There may be some people around and/or close to you who aren’t progressing at the same rate that you are. That’s okay. That shouldn’t stop you from developing and growing into the person God created you to be. Don’t dim your light just because you’re afraid of how bright the light is. Don’t diminish your light just because those closest to you aren’t ready to shine their light just yet. Each person’s path is different. Likewise, there may be a person close to you who has reached a certain point in their “purpose-driven life” before you’ve even figured out what your purpose is. Praise the Lord for what He’s doing in another life but don’t use it as a barometer for your personal walk with Christ. God is developing each of us differently and comparison is deadly. If you commit yourself to God, you will fulfill God’s will and purpose for your life in His perfect timing.

Now I KNOW these reminders aren’t just for me. Lean on God to grow and develop you into the His best version of you. He is all-powerful and mighty to save. So whenever you feel unsure of God’s presence or providence in your life, take a little time to consider the lilies.