I saw it on my way down the mountain and I even got a picture of it! As we descended from 14,000 feet off Pike's Peak through the rough terrain, I noticed a bright flower growing all by itself on a small rocky ledge. And it just struck me how cool it was to see such a delicate plant in such a harsh environment.
More than that I marveled at the perseverance, the steadfastness of this flower, not just to grow but to bloom where it was planted. I've seen such tenacity before and I'm sure you have too. Like the grass and weeds that are growing in my driveway cracks even as the grass in my watered lawn struggles to stay green. How does that happen?
As I examined my picture later, I noticed only the smallest amount of rock dirt (my poor attempt at geological description) around its base on this ledge. Other than that it looked like it was growing right out of the rock, but what a great little flower this plant had produced. Sort of a bluish purple – again, very cool.
As I applauded God's creation in my picture, I thought about how we all could use a dose of this flower's tenacity, determination, endurance and strength. Sometimes blooming where you are planted is not an easy thing. Sometimes we wonder why we're planted in what seems to be a very difficult place. And we could apply this analogy to our work life or family life but I'm thinking about our faith life. My own in particular.
I've mentioned before one of my favorite verses is 1 Cor 15:58 which calls us to be steadfast and immovable. I guess you could say we are called to be flowers on rocks, to take our place and bloom where we are no matter how difficult that might seem. No matter how few might see. Why? Because as this verse later adds, nothing we do for the Lord is done in vain.
The Bible provides many calls to be strong and endure. 2 Timothy tells us to be 'strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus' and adds that if we endure we shall also reign with Him. James says 'we count them blessed who endure'. There are plenty more if you take a moment to look. So, be strong and determined, endure in your faith walk, be steadfast and immovable. Determined means resolute and staunch. Endure means sustain or suffer without yielding.
Based on the encouragement of a small flower we are all reminded to be resolute and staunch in our faith. To be unyielding to any circumstance pushing us to give up. We have a hope, a sure confidence that the faith God provides will be sufficient to help us bloom where we are planted- no matter how hard it may seem. We are indeed flowers drawing strength from THE Rock and that is all the soil we need for an eternity of blooming!
Blest Regards,
Keith
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