The Response to the Sun

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

When we have these funny little “winters” in the springtime, we sometimes wonder about the crocuses, daffodils, tulips and flowering deciduous trees. Will they survive the spring snowfalls? And why do they bloom before it really gets warm anyway?

I did a little research about this yesterday and, while I won’t bore you with the details, it was quite fascinating. I didn’t exactly find what I expected, though. Sometimes research is like that. 

Did you know that the buds on cherry trees actually form in the summer prior their blossoming in the spring? Their development is directly linked to the long sunny days of summer. Fall and winter bring shorter days and the protective cycle of dormancy. And then two things cause them to burst out in the spring — the sun and warm temperatures. If their blooming were solely dependent on the sun (and longer days), then Washington’s Cherry Blossom Festival could be scheduled fairly accurately to coincide with their peaks. Oh, well. 

Bulbs respond similarly to warmer and more sunny days. Unseasonably warm days in February inevitably produce early flowers. But we shouldn’t worry about them. They have endured spring cold snaps for who-knows-how-long. 

Well, all this reading about warmth and sunshine and nature’s response made me think about Christians. Now this, like a lot of analogies, will only go so far. So don’t be too critical. 

I think we as believers can go through growth cycles. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is developing things inside us that we aren’t really aware of. Sometimes we go through periods of relative dormancy. And sometimes we are visibly blossoming and growing. Our roots are going deeper and we are getting stronger and more resilient. 

Unlike the vegetation in our back yards, though, Christians must chose to let the Son work in our lives. Our growth is not passive. The Lord is ready and willing to grow us. But we have to let Him do His thing. 

Father, may we live as in a greenhouse — always growing — always blooming — always dependent on you to be our source of life. And May our blossoms ever bring You great joy. 

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