Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God. . . . In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.—1 John 4:7, 10, 11, NKJV
Frigid winter eased. Crocus bulbs pushed little green spears toward the sun. Days later, a patch of purple-and-white delight greeted us. Then the sun warmed the temperature enough for the blossoms to open like bowls. Bees buzzed around yellow stamens, gathering pollen. The pure-white blossoms shone in the bright sunlight. That evening, as the sun dropped toward the horizon, I stood at a window admiring pink painting the sky and purple polka-dotting the flowerbed. The crocus petals had pulled together in tight cylindrical buds.
The next morning, the flowers were still wrapped as tight buds. “Thank You, God,” I whispered, “for the beauty of spring.”
The blossoms will open again when the sun warms them, I seemed to hear. The crocus are like My children that don’t know me. They’ll open their hearts to the warmth of love.
I pondered the parallel. A line from an Edgar Guest poem came to mind—“I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” Some people misunderstand God’s character. Some have gotten the impression that God is a big bully seeking evidence to condemn. For some, their relationship with father—or other authority—figures have made them feel unworthy of love. They can’t conceive of godly love. That’s where Christ's followers come in. When I open my heart to see people as God’s precious, cherished children; when I show acceptance to those who condemn themselves; when I consistently treat people with respect, even when their behavior doesn’t inspire respect; when they feel the warmth of divine love flowing through a human, they may begin to open their hearts to the love of God.
Later in the day, the sun came out. The temperature warmed. The purple-and-white blooms opened and displayed their beauty. Dear God, I prayed, plant Your love in me. Live Your love through me. Warm some struggling soul through me today so that this person can begin to open his or her heart to You.
Helen Heavirland
First published in In His Presence (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press), 2018.
Carolyn R. Sutton, editor
