Stop, and (smell)   Listen to the Morning Glories

Texas Hibiscus 

  Immediately after saying, “Amen,” a gigantic red flower floating gently on the wind caught my attention. It fell from a six-foot Texas Hibiscus plant growing by the patio. Several brand-new, colossal blood-red flowers would appear on the plant each morning. The blooms would last a couple of days then drop to the ground. I asked God, “How is it possible to make a beautiful bright red flower appear out of black soil?” From the sheer beauty of each flower that appears, I feel God’s love for me, and each red blossom that falls to the ground reminds me of his precious Son’s blood, shed for me.

      Then, it was as if God touched my face and gently turned it toward the back fence. A massive vine with gigantic leaves covered both sides of a twenty-five-foot section of our wood fence. “Now, vine, you need to produce something besides leaves,” I told it. “I think you’re beautiful just the way you are, but my husband says we need to cut you down before you take over the whole fence. Please bloom so I can keep you. Hum, I thought. I wonder if that is the way God feels about me. Maybe I need to produce more fruit/ flowers by spreading his word in this upside-down world. (Not gripping)  

     Suddenly, I remembered I had signed up to prepare a dish for a church meal. Looking at the time on my phone, I thought I better get busy. I headed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and removed everything I needed. Next, I stopped, looked up, and said, “God, I’m grateful I never have to say goodbye—just amen, I agree. Your prayer line is always open. You listen, and your answers are made evident when and how we will benefit the most. You know, since I must cook, I will be asking for help. I just hope the people who consume my cooking don’t need help,” I said jokingly.

 

Great Granddaughter

Playing in the Bluebonnets

      I planned to write about a night spent on a cruise ship at the bottom of a Lock on the Yangtze River in China. Instead, God’s plan prevailed, so the name of my story is “Stop, and (smell) Listen to the Morning Glories.”—a simple little story about flowers, or is it?

      “Has the world gone stark raving mad? I asked God early one morning while standing on my backyard patio. Let me back up; last summer, I decided to go outside each day as soon as the sun appeared, look up at the Heavens, and talk to God. This plan appealed to me more than the now-familiar prayer closet. I felt a bit guilty because it was also an excuse to soak up vitamin D after the evil Covid lockdown. Confident that God knew about of my selfish nature, I quickly brushed aside my guilt.

      And yes, I began my prayer by asking if the world had gone mad. Oops, I’m gripping again, I thought. “Sorry, God I’ve been watching too much news.” After thanking God for The Lord’s Prayer and His example of how to pray, I began my prayer again by acknowledging God and then praising Him. My most pressing prayer concern centered around my son, who was battling bladder cancer along with several other health issues. After praying for people on my prayer list, I prayed for our country and leaders. I concluded with a prayer for myself. I asked Him to help me concentrate on His divine will and plan for our country, not mine. 

Baby Blue Morning Glory

One morning, toward the end of the summer, I walked outside to pray. The early morning rays of sun bouncing off the flowers took my breath away. Giant four-inch baby blue Morning Glory blooms covered our backyard fence. The blooms were more prominent than any morning glory I had ever seen. It was as if God had painted a gigantic living mural on my back fence. To my surprise, I noticed one enormous purple blossom centered in the midst of the sea of blue blooms.

          I felt as if God was speaking to every cell in my body. “Praise you, God.” I said aloud, “God, you are the vine. We are the sea or nation of people. We are the blue flowers. Your Son is the purple flower, the King. We have only one King, a righteous King.” At that moment in time, all my worries disappeared.

          My time with God was interrupted by the cell phone in my pocket. My daughter, Kim called on her way to work and asked, “What kind of flowers are growing on your fence?

           “There’re Moring Glories. Did you drive by this morning to see if we had the garage door closed?” I asked while smiling teasingly. (That’s another story for another time.)

            “No, my co-worker lives in your neighborhood. She said that the back of your fence is covered in beautiful blue flowers except for one large purple flower in the center of all the blue ones. Mom! This is the lady I told you about—the one we need to pray for. She said that after seeing the wonderful flowers, she felt at peace with the world.”

              Wow, I thought. By positioning a purple flower on the outside of the fence, God left the door open for my daughter and me to testify to her co-worker.” So, I shared with my daughter what the vine and flowers represented to me and asked her to share it with her friend.

             Later, I asked Kim if she had shared my view of the Morning Glories with her friend.

      “Yes, I did,” my daughter replied. “But she was skeptical. She said that perhaps your mother was seeing what she wanted to see. I told her I was sure you did, but maybe my mother also saw what God wanted her to see. We ask God to reveal to us His love and character, which is evident in His creation. Then I reminded her how she felt after seeing the flowers and explained that God gives us that same sensation of peace and joy when He reveals His truth. I gave her a Bible verse to read, and she read it. Mom! I think we planted a seed!”

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
  let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
  he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
  and the peoples in his faithfulness (Psalm 96:11-13.)

 

Prayer: “God, you are awesome. Please remind us to take time to enjoy your beautiful creation. Open our eyes to the love for us revealed throughout your universe. Show us the trees, lift their branches, and sing praises to You. Help us understand how simple it is to see your character in your art but that your creation is extremely complex and beyond our understanding. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”