As one goes out the back door onto the patio, along the side of our house there is a flowerbed where three or four small trees/bushes grew. Louis and I decided to move those bushes to the corner of fence that we installed last year. I had planted a rosebush in that location only to discover that it did not get enough light because of the overshadowing trees. So, with some difficulty, we moved the bushes to the fence and the rosebush to the flowerbed where it would get more light. This left several feet of bare ground along the house between roses and the cement pad of the patio. So, the natural thing to do was to plant more flowers.
I purchased some Lily bulbs and planted them between the rosebush and the steps into the house, stopping about three feet from the steps as that area is overshadowed by the roof. A couple weeks later, the plants started to emerge from the ground. As the plants became taller, they all leaned toward the rosebush. I soon discovered buds and then open blooms on the Lilies. However, they are still growing toward the rosebush. I underestimated the amount of light that part the flowerbed is receiving. The Lilies are growing toward the rosebush because that is where the sunlight is most prominent.
This brought a thought to my mind. Are we growing toward the Sonlight of Christ? Jesus said, “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12 NKJV). If we are growing toward Jesus, we are walking in the light of righteousness and not the darkness of evil (1 John 1:6-7).
Just as the Lilies I planted were overshadowed by the roof, blocking the direct sunlight, sometimes we allow the cares of this world to overshadow the direct Sonlight of Christ toward us. Matthew 6:33 states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” The full context (6:25-30) is a lesson on worry. Jesus shows how God cares for the flowers and the birds, and He certainly will provide for our needs as well. We will have the necessities of life – food, shelter and clothing – if we put God first in our lives and strive to daily walk in the Sonlight of Christ.
I also realized that even though the Lilies did not have direct sunlight, they grew and bloomed because they guided themselves toward the light. They are bent, but they are blooming! As Christians, we may be living our lives with the darkness of the world overshadowing us. We may be doing some good works; however, we are not as effective as we should be since we are bent toward the Sonlight not growing directly toward Christ. Our Spiritual path has highs, lows, twist and turns instead of a direct, upward road toward our Heavenly Father.
I may need to move the Lilies to another part of the yard where they can receive direct sunlight to flourish and grow. Let us learn from the Lilies. Remove the shadow of the world from our lives and grow directly toward the Sonlight of Christ, growing and flourishing in His kingdom while on this earth.
