Marigolds by Jan Lutz

"Marigolds" said the man at the greenhouse.  "Have your kindergarteners plant marigolds.  They'll grow whether it's wet or dry, whether planted shallowly or deeply, or whether they are watered too much or too little.  Marigolds grow no matter what!"

Each spring when I plant marigolds, I remember his advice.  That has become my annual reminder to strive to be like a marigold in my faith journey—to bloom and grow amid life's droughts and floods.  I need not expect God to be a pampering Gardener who adjusts life's weather conditions to insure my individual growth.  Nor do I resent His pruning, painful as it is, since it is vital for my maturation.  Marigolds serve to illustrate the biblical truth that God does indeed bring good from life's extremes.  We can grow despite life's droughts, survive floods and flourish in the aftermath, sending our spiritual roots ever deeper into the soil of His Word.  Trusting my Master Gardener, I become all that He desires me to be.

Jan Lutz copyright 2008

Reflection reprinted by HopeToHealing with permission of Jan Lutz.  © 2008 Jan Lutz
Top photo by Angela Henderson:  www.builtbymom.com/goodies.htm
Bottom photo by Horia Andrei Varlan:  www.artpedia.ro/orange-marigold-daisy-wallpaper-wide-292.aspx
Background by William Morris Gallery:  www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/wmg/free.htm
The URL for this web page is:  www.hopetohealing.com/wisdom/marigolds/0marigolds.htm