Poppies in the wind...

I captured these photographs of poppies blowing in the wind at my parent's house a couple months ago. I started to write the blog, prayed for God's direction and then one Sunday at church the worship team read the following poem. As they read the poem I had tears streaming down my cheeks as I thought of the poppies in my father's garden and the photos I had just taken. God is faithful and provided the missing piece I was praying for to complete this blog. I hope you enjoy it and are blessed by it.

The Church As The Glory Of TheWorld
By John Bunyan (1628 - 1688)

The doctrine of the gospel is like the dew,
like the mist that moistens the tender grass,
making it flourish, keeping it green.
Christians are like all the different flowers in a garden,
each of them having the dew of heaven.
When the flowers are shaken by the wind,
they let their dew fall on each other's roots --
and as a result they are all nourished,
for they are nourishers of one another.

Church fellowship,
when it is healthy and productive,
is the glory of the world.
No place, no community,
no fellowship is decorated and spangled
with such beauties as the church is
when it is rightly knit together with their Head,
each lovingly serving the other.

Most Americans are familiar with the poppy and its meaning especially on Memorial Day. As I sat atop the hill near my father's garden and watched the poppies blow in the wind I was overcome with an all new appreciation of the poppy.

It is more than a paper flower worn on Memorial day - it is a symbol of beauty and eternal life. Instead of viewing the poppy as one in Flander's field I challenge you to view it as a representation and hope we have with Jesus. An eternal beauty waiting for us when we leave earth - an eternal beauty blowing in the wind and spreading joy and vitality to those near.

The next time you pin a poppy on your jacket to remember our fallen soldiers in World War I - remember who gave the ultimate sacrifice for you and your sins - Jesus Christ!

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