May 13

Lessons from the Flowers

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. — Matt 6:28,9 BSB

Without any effort of their own, God clothes the flowers in a beauty far greater than anything human skill can produce. Flowers bloom for only a day and then fade, yet we are more valuable than flowers. If our Father lavishes so much beauty on these short-lived plants, is there any reason to doubt that He will provide clothing for His own children?

Of course, this doesn’t mean that, like the lilies, we don’t need to work or make an effort. It’s right for lilies to simply stand still and grow—that’s how God created them. But He gave us hands, feet, brains, and energy, and if we want to be provided for like the flowers, we must use our abilities to create comfort for ourselves. Yet, Jesus tells us to consider the lilies and how they grow. We should study the beauty of nature and learn from it. One lesson we can learn here is contentment. Who has ever heard a lily complain about its situation? It accepts the conditions in which it finds itself and makes the best of them. It takes in the light, air, dew, and rain from heaven and quietly grows into its own beauty.

The lily grows from within, and so should we, with the divine life developing our character and spirit. The lily represents beauty, and our spiritual life should grow in all lovely ways. It is also a symbol of peace—who has ever seen a lily filled with worry or anxiety? God wants us to grow into peace. The lily is fragrant, and our lives should be fragrant too. Sometimes, the lily grows in a dark, muddy place but remains unspotted. In the same way, we should live in this world, keeping ourselves pure amid its evil. These are just a few of the lessons the lily teaches us.