Two years ago a friend gave me a small clump of what she
called “Moonflowers.” They are a variety
of Evening Primrose. Most flowers open
in the sunlight. Some close up each
evening and open again in the morning, but these are unique in their ways.
Many evenings after
the sun has disappeared from the horizon but when there is still a little
leftover light, I wait beside the flower bed, thrilled in anticipation. The tightly closed buds look as though they
would be days from opening, but as I watch, the stem begins to quiver a bit.
Very soon the sides of the buds begin to burst open to show little slits of
yellow. Then, right before my eyes, the change happens—from a closed bud to a
fully open flower in the matter of a few seconds. Sometimes the buds open one at a time, sometimes
several simultaneously, but the delight never diminishes. Last night, as I watched this extraordinary miracle,
my mind opened, like the flower before me and made a connection to my present
experience.
My husband and I have been experiencing a time of darkness
or deep shadows because of a rare kind of cancer he has acquired and our
journey with it. Yet through all this
time we have been so very conscious of the prayers of many people as well as
the faithfulness of our God. We have felt an abiding peace and gladness in that
knowledge.
It seems to me that our joy in the unfathomable reliability
and dependability of God is much like the brightness of those yellow flowers
blooming in the darkness. Both bring a burst of elation, a sense of awe and a sanctuary
for our souls, knowing that God is working in delightful, different and
unexpected ways in all the situations of our lives—even when the sunlight is
hidden and the darkness envelopes us.
Another insight presented itself to me as well. In order to see the miracle of the opening
flower, I need to go into the darkness, sit and wait. If I stay in the familiar comfort of my
brightly-lit house, working at a myriad of tasks, ignoring the darkness, I miss
that quiet blessing of the opening bloom and the inspiration it brings.
How good to know God is in charge. How delightful to
discover that He brings blossoms in the night-times of our lives so that even
there, we can be conscious of His presence and love.
2 comments:
Ruth, thank you for sharing out of Paul's and your current experience of finding light in the midst of darkness and bringing that light out to help others of us see.
On another level I felt your sense of childlike excitement and wonder in your anticipating the opening of the flower in the moonlight -- a marvel of how our Creator God has fashioned us.
Hi Ruth,
We once had a similar kind of flower that opened in the evening. How neat to watch and treasure its uniqueness. Thinking of you and Paul at this time.
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