It is incredible to watch life flow through nature; the way the waves rise and fall at the beach, the way the sun and moon dance their routine of day and night, the way a flower grows and blooms from a tiny seed.
Behind the beauty of nature lies an awe-inspiring God.
I am filled with wonder as I see his painted skies each day, and as I notice the way He clothes every living thing with garments more intricate than what our top fashion designers could imagine. Just think of the many unique patterns on a butterfly’s wings for example, the many different shapes flower petals can have. We are always discovering new species, new flora and fauna.
Perhaps as we seek to understand earth’s nature more, we will also grow to understand the nature of God who made it all.
Recently, I harvested some giant sunflowers. It is one thing to sow a seed and watch it grow yourself, but quite another to share the process with others. What started as a joke comment turned into reality when some friends at church allocated a spot for my husband and I to sow sunflowers; a spot in their orchard.
Our friend handed my husband a pole, and he dug out some holes. I placed a seed in each hole, and our friend watered the plants on his land. Then, we all waited as our Creator God caused the plants to grow, flower and seed.
The bees came to visit with yellow pollen all over their little heads, and the sunflowers moved to follow the travelling sun wherever it went.
We were updated on the progress of our sunflowers as they grew taller than us, and we tasted the seeds once the flower had passed. At every stage of the sunflower’s growth, there was something new to learn, something new to see, and people to share the news with.
These sunflowers reminded me of how God grows His people and His church. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 6 says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
As God’s church, we each have different roles, different spiritual gifts, and different areas of influence. Yet we have one Spirit that binds us all in Christ, and it is God Himself who makes a person grow. It is God who matures faith, gives the spiritual harvest and causes love to abound. His harvest is abundant, and He sends many workers into His field.
There are those who identify hearts ready to receive a seeded word of God, and those who prepare that heart for the sowing. They dig deep to know, understand and love the people around them.
There are sowers who speak the word of God to others through encouragement, prophecy and evangelism. There are the ones who water, faithfully and steadfastly pouring steams of God’s living water on the thirsty souls.
Then, there are the seeds themselves. Soaking in the presence of the Almighty God, they are nurtured and watered until God’s good work springs up in them, breaks through their earthen grave and shoots up into life.
These are the sunflowers of God’s kingdom. These are the followers of the Son and wherever He goes, they also go. The glory of God seen in their life attracts others to come and experience it. The messengers hear, experience life in Christ, and transport it to others with the glow of God’s goodness all over their faces.
When all is over and done, the sunflower makes some seeds. These are the promises that another generation of souls won to the Lord will soon be seen. While not every seed sown will produce a sunflower, God will always make some to rise up and blossom in the beauty of His amazing love.
We plant, and we water, but it is God who grows the seed.
Kristen is a family doctor, and author of the e-book ‘An Internship with Jesus’. She lives with her husband in Adelaide and writes a weekly blog (lostnowfoundk) on life with God. Her second blog, Lily of the Valleys, aims to share her love for Jesus through music and art.