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For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 2 Corinthians 4:17
I recently went through some pretty significant health issues that I’m still in the process of recovering from. I’m so thankful for the medical personnel that tended to me and continue to tend to me through this ordeal.
One of the things I find humorous is how calm and almost nonchalant my surgeon was about the surgery. In a calm manner he told us what he would do, what the expectations were, what the risks were and what I could expect in the future. All this was said in a calm, factual manner, yet in our minds it was huge! Why? Because this was something totally out of our control and would be life-changing.
When I read the above verse my first inclination would be to say to the Apostle Paul, “What do you mean this present struggle is small? My life is in the balance here!” But we look in the temporal, Paul was looking with an eternal perspective.
Whether we live to be 100 or die young, our earthly lives are a blip on the screen, a tiny dot on the horizon. Yet the glory we receive on the other end when we see Jesus will make all the social unrest, the political divisions and the unanswered prayers seem insignificant.
An eternal perspective, based on our faith in Jesus, allows us to have peace and security in a troubled world because the best is yet to come and far exceeds anything we can imagine.
Focus on the eternal.
Value all the experiences you go through in life.
Rest in his promise of the glory we have ahead of us in eternity with Him!
“The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field.” Psalm 103:15
The marketing behind roses is one of the great success stories of all time. Anyone who knows how to impress the one they love knows about roses. The smell good, bring joy to the receiver…and die quickly! However, somewhere along the line we were ‘taught’ that the very best flowers to give were roses and so, we buy roses.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing wrong with roses, and I admire a good marketing plan. However, the fact remains that there are many other flowers that smell good, last a long time and are less expensive.
Why this tirade? There are plenty of passages in the Bible that remind us of the mortality of the human race. The death rate among humans is 100% and at this point there is no indication that a cure will be found. That’s the bad news.
The good news is this; you were created to be a flower! Maybe you are a rose. Maybe you are a carnation. Perhaps you are some sort of wild flower in the fields, being tossed by summer breezes, refreshed by summer rains and chilled by early fall frost. The fact of the matter is, you are a flower.
Jesus said, look at the flowers. They don’t worry about clothing, they don’t worry where the next paycheck is coming from, they don’t worry about gas prices or if their retirement account will sustain them. They aren’t challenged by unruly flowers, nor are they concerned that their seedlings will be accepted into FSU (Flowery State University).
Flowers have one purpose in life: To bring joy to those around them by blooming! Everything else is in the Father’s hands.
So. Bloom! Bloom while you can! For those of us who know Jesus as our personal savior we know this world is not our home. The very best we can hope for here is nothing compared to the worst part about eternity with Jesus. So bloom while you can. Bring joy into the lives of others by spreading the love of Jesus in your thoughts, words and actions.
Our time is short, but our impact can be breathtaking!
PRAYER: Father God. For too long I’ve seen the negative part of your word concerning the shortness of human life. From this day forward help me to see the positive. Help me to bloom for you in Jesus name. Amen!
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 