Blessed to See the Flowers

 

As I walked near one of the construction sites on the church property, this lone Magnolia blossom caught my eye. This tree, like the individual Oaks that share this particular space, has fought its way back from the trauma of the big February freeze. The leaves are a mixture of brown and green, reminders of the struggle this past Spring held in terms of sheer survival. Then there is the flower.

I walked around the tree, inspecting it from all angles. I looked it up and down. This blossom is the only blossom. There seems to have been none before and it appears none are waiting to open. The purity of the white stands out among the brown and green of leaves and the dust of construction. It almost seems a statement: I made it!

In my journey with so many amazing people across the years, I have had the joy of seeing statements of having “made it”. The statements come in many forms. Some ring a bell at the end of treatment that conquered cancer. Others work for the benefit of children after the indescribable loss of their own. Others are generous toward helping others because they, too, once knew the burden of poverty. Some make their statement through an attitude of hospitality, for they once knew what it was like to feel alone. Each, somehow, found a way to bloom in spite of the circumstances. And that brought beauty into the world of others.

Paul writes, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” These are challenging words. It may not look like we will survive. It may not feel like we are going to make it. And yet, here we are. The amazing people I remember today probably don’t think of themselves as having done anything special. They just kept going, they would say, we are just hanging in there.

That is because they are looking out of their lives while others are looking in. We are the ones blessed to see the flowers.

Peace.