I was probably in middle school when my dad bought me my first desk. It was a beautiful cream-colored desk with a nice accordion-type cover to keep all my things private with different built-in sections. I kept it for years.
The desk sat in front of a window that faced our backyard, the part of the yard that faces the side of the house where the AC unit sat. It was almost like a forgotten part of the yard.
Well, Dad brought a beautiful bougainvillea and planted it right there in that forgotten area of the backyard. My mom questioned his decision: why plant it so far back, hidden away? Because, he said, he wanted me to watch the plant bloom and grow as I studied at my desk.
He put it there for me to enjoy. I always remember how thoughtful that was of my dad. He was thinking of me.
Last week, my husband brought home a bunch of flowers that were not quite blooming yet. It stood in a vase with green stems and red bulbs cupped together. It didn’t have the beauty of flowers in bloom. But, as the days passed, we started to see how each flower opened up and flared its petals…such a magnificent thing to witness.
Psalm 103:15 says, “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.”
A flower has a life cycle…just like us. As magnificent as it is, it will eventually die. No plant on this earth is eternal.
However, God’s Word tells us what is eternal in the next verse, “But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:17)
God’s love is eternal, unlike our love…or our life on earth, for that matter.
I messed up today. I let negative thoughts fill my mind and knew my heart wasn’t where it should be. As soon as I felt the Holy Spirit convict me, I asked God for forgiveness. I am so grateful for a God who loves me, despite my weaknesses and mistakes!
“He loves us,
Oh, how he loves us!”*
Know that whatever mistakes you have made today or inevitably will make tomorrow, we serve a God whose love is everlasting. He will always receive you back. Just confess your sins to a Father who cares.
God’s love is more breathtaking than a rose in full bloom. When you experience his love and his compassion and his forgiveness, you experience that beauty inside you. Nothing can compare.
~Betsy
*From the song, “How he loves us”, David Crowder Band