A sunflower's Tale

I've always been fascinated by the sunflower. I love its beautiful, bright, cheery petals that seem to reflect the beauty of the sun's rays. Whenever I see one I never fail to think, "How beautiful!" However I'm not just attracted by it's beauty, I'm intrigued by its story.

If flowers were known for their personality type the sunflower would be classified as an optimist. The sunflower always turns away from negativity. When everything is dark and bleak the sunflower turns itself until it finds the little sunlight that is peeking through the clouds and it turns its face that way. It focuses on the little positive and backs away from the negative.

Wouldn't it be nice to be like the sunflower? To turn your back on the negativity and face the brightness of possibility? Just as the sunflower closes up and loses some of it's luster and beauty in the dark so do we lose our bright smiles, enthusiasm and exuberance in the darkness of negativity.

Today let's try to be like the sunflower. Let's turn our back on the darkness of negativity and face the brightness of God's possibilities. Remember God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalms 46:1) So when you're going through a dark period in your life he's the ray of sunshine shining through the clouds that you need to turn your face towards.

(Written July 17, 2004)