A Lesson from a Daffodil

Here at Lost Lake RV Resort we have an old, moss covered shelter that used to be a community picnic area, and is now used to house the workampers' golf carts. One day, being snoopy, I looked into a Chiquita banana box stored there. I saw that it was filled with bulbs — dry, sunless, waterless, abandoned, and I wondered why someone had not planted them last fall. Recently, looking into the box once more, I noticed that many of the bulbs had put out sprouts. I felt really badly. It bothered me. What could have been a whole garden of glorious spring flowers were sitting there wasted. So, I took one out and brought it home, curious to see what would happen if I planted it in a little dirt, watered it and gave it some light. I didn't expect much. The bulb was a tad soft, its one sprout was pale and thin, and the poor little thing had no roots whatsoever. I had no idea whether it might be a tulip, a daffodil, or some other spring flower. To my great surprise, almost immediately after I planted it, the sprout multiplied, put out a stem with a swelling that I knew was the flower, and literally within 7 days it put forth this little miniature daffodil, just a bit deformed but outdoing itself with that strong, wonderful daffodil fragrance! Amazing!

As the days have passed with no sign yet that the flower is fading, I kept thinking that there is a lesson here. In this world there are many, many people who have gotten a bad start in life, or have perhaps had a devastating experience in their adult lives. They've been abandoned, left without nourishment, perhaps abused, uprooted, neglected, and most of all, bereft of love, the sunshine of the soul. God looks into the box where they may be imprisoned, and knows what it will take to bring them out so they can fulfill their potential and be all that they were created to be. He puts them into the soil of His Word where their roots can grow down deep, finding nourishment and comfort. He waters them with His healing Spirit and brings them out into the brilliant sunlight of His indescribable love. He holds them and watches tenderly to see that they have all they need. As a result of His care these "people flowers" grow and have the beauty and the lovely fragrance they were destined to have, bringing joy to God Himself and to those around them.  

I was so encouraged by my tiny daffodil's new life that I took the whole banana box, dumped out the other bulbs under a fir tree beside the shelter, set them all upright and shoveled a fair amount of dirt around them, making sure the sprouts were above ground. I trusted the frequent rain to do the watering, and now I'm watching to see what will happen. My prayer is that I may be used by God to respond to need, especially among the "people flowers" I may encounter in my work or in my travels, expecting to see wondrous blossoms, always the work of God!