I LOVE nature. It's said in the scripture of the Bible that the first missionary to bare witness of God to humanity was/is Nature. I truly believe that if we are open to learning and being enlightened by it - how great and many things we can receive and experience! I had the sheer joy of discovering Longwood Gardens with my friend Ali this morning. Amidst the tantalizing of our senses by explosive colors and fragrances, there was so much to be learned.
I was particularly impressed upon by this group of flowers/leaves.
Aside from the purity of the white pedals or the strong green leaves, what this picture lacks is the alluring fragrance that draws and entices the unsuspecting onlooker into its sweet aroma of bountiful honey suckle. To rest under its canopy of delight is to temporarily escape a world full of mundane, drab, and malodor. It's a gift. A moment of pure delight that is meant to be cherished and enjoyed.
This picture, tells a tale of how there's such beauty in the imperfectness and messiness of life. Notice the buds. They are all over the place. Some are in full bloom, showing off their glory, while others are dying and falling apart. Still some pedals are yet to be realized or even sprout. Such a messy and complex collection of action within such a small branch of this plant. And the leaves! oh, the leaves well look at them! Some strong, solid, dark green. Shiny with visible health. An others- why, they're old, torn. Ripped. Browning. Scarred.
Isn't that the picture of a human life? So complex. Feeling like we've achieved so much and wear it proudly, yet are being stripped and reduced, while other experiences/dreams/knowledge have not even begun to make themselves known in us. And isn't it true that we find such great confidence and security in the strengths of our "known" and "conquered" while we sit ashamed and scarred by the depravity and hurtfulness of living in an imperfect world. This picture is a human being. Fragile, yet resilient. And you know what? In it's imperfect, dynamically changing, and honest form, it was the source of utter beauty and delight to me today.
I was enchanted by its fragrance and refreshed by its mere presence. It was perfect, just the way it was. It was beautiful, flaws and all. I love the fact that nature does not seek pretentiousness. It does not seek to hide the reality of what it is and is not. It simply lives and moves as it was created to. What would happen if we, as humans created in the image of God, would do the same? To live with such raw honesty that we experience the essence of truly living verses taking up space. How much beauty would flow from our lives into others?
Ironically, aside from blessing our sense of smell and sight, this plant also is destined to produce fruit. It doesn't matter how many blossoms are attached, how "untouched" the leaves are. The fruit comes, because the stem/the vine produces it. It was created to do so. And it does.
(Ali and I in a moment of *slightly cheesy, but totally sincere* bliss)
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