Out of the Wild

What do you see when you look upon God's creation?

As I was gathering flowers and greenery out my yard this morning, I couldn’t help but think about the Lord and all His wonderful ways. Neither I nor my husband had planted any of the beauty that I was clipping. Yet what I saw and gathered was sure to make a pleasing arrangement in the vase that I set aside for today. It took me back to one of our visits to Biltmore Estates. My husband and I would dream of such a perfectly planned landscape as we toured the breathtaking gardens. In our current home we have also dreamed of well-planned gardens covering our nearly two acres of land. It’s the vision planning and fruits of it, that I love, not so much the actual planting.

But today, as I envisioned the bouquet that I was soon to be making, I thought about the adventure of seeking which wildflower or random plant that I would choose. It’s like a treasure hunt. Then I started thinking about our Lord’s beautiful and diverse church. For one, just as man had not planned the beauty that would be available for me to gather, neither has man planned who would make up our Lord’s church. Secondly, just as I gathered those flowers and greenery out of the wild, so has the Lord done in gathering His church.

Each one person is or has been astray, like a random flower growing wild in the yard. In our wandering, God is so good to gather us from the thorns and thistles that we have been growing with. He sees our beauty amidst the scars of our personal journey. It brings Him great joy to grow us into the perfect image and works that He created specifically for us. As He gathers, I imagine Him thinking about the beautiful church He is building, like my pleasing bouquet. While I was arranging the colors, shapes, and fragrances in the specific vase that I chose, I pictured the Lord arranging His Church with every detail necessary to accomplish His mission for His Church. It’s delightful to think about.

The array of flowers and vases on earth give us a glimpse of the immensity of people and churches on earth. Equally, some are small, others are large, some are similar in colors, others are varied in colors, some are of the same ethnicity or nationality, and others are diverse in ethnicity or nationality. Some churches play music, while others do not. Some churches dance, while others do not. Some churches wave flags, while others do not. Some churches blow the shofar, while others do not. But within each church, the Lord is doing His bidding for us all to become One. One beautiful and fragrant Bride of Christ. So, next time you see an arrangement of flowers, consider not how one flower stands out above another. But rather, consider that each one combined together is what makes the bouquet beautiful!

I love the Lord’s church and I love flower arrangements. Both are beautiful. Let’s go be that One breathtaking and beautiful church!

“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” -John 17:20-23 KJV

“For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” -1 Peter 2:25 KJV

“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.” 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 KJV

“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” -Matthew 24:31 KJV