Her the Sunflower

 "Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us."  

-Psalm 80:3

This Spring, which seems like an eternity ago, I let the kids plant bird seed in one of the weed beds flower beds. A few months later, we had two or three little sunflowers peeking through the dirt. Chloe was thrilled. Then a storm with lots of wind tore through and one of our little sunflowers was injured. Her stalk was bent and she was doubled over in pain.

A few weeks pass, and I check on Her. (I call her Her because sunflowers seem like girls or really girly boys in which those are weird.)

What I find when I see Her causes my jaw to drop....

Not only is Her still alive, she has contorted herself to find the sun. She bent and twisted, let the unimportant things die, leaves, in order that the rest may live. In order to fulfill Her duty as a sunflower, she managed to produce a blossom. A testament to Her strength and resilience.

"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father." -Colossians 1:11-12a

Here Her stands today. She has a scar from the windy battle, but at the point the world tried to knock Her out at the knees, Her is stronger. The place of Her injury is the strongest part of Her body. Her battle wound has healed and she's all the stronger for it. Always seeking Her sun, Our Son, in an effort to fulfill Her purpose as a sunflower; shine bright.

"No one lights a lamp and then puts in under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house." -Matthew 5:15