Bloom!!

I absolutely love spring.  The return of life to the winter weary earth is, dare I say, divine!!  Acting as though I’m seeing the flowering trees for the first time, I gush at every redbud, apple tree and dogwood.  Despite my current joy, one thing creeps in and throws a damper on my glee, the knowledge that the colorful blooms will soon give way to plain old green leaves.  Their beauty will be gone in just a couple of days, and  you won’t be able to distinguish them from the other trees.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if the gentle pastels didn’t have to fade into the crowd?  Oh well, there’s always summer and fall.

As I was pondering this process of blending in, I got to thinking about myself as a Christian. Was I standing out from the crowd, not in a bold or flamboyant way, but gently, presenting the true colors of Christ, or was I merely blending in?  While God’s plan is for the redbud to fade, that’s not his intent for Christians.  Some folks, like poor Job don’t know that, and will say, “All people spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.”  Job 14:2.  Sure, he was a bit depressed when he penned this, and could only see the fading part of the picture, but what‘s your excuse?  We, who live as heirs of the new covenant, have the supernatural ability to show our true colors all year long .  Jesus never told us to be showy in our display, but like the spring trees, whose subtle beauty attracts us, the way we live our lives should draw people to him.

Are you a year round bloomer, or are you content  to blend in with the crowd?  "Let your light (colors) shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.