Weed or Flower?
Waiting to be Filled © 2005 Debbie Turner Chavers |
When my oldest daughter was a little girl she presented an older family member with a freshly picked flower from the yard. I do not remember what the flower was, but the person who received the gift saw it as a weed, not as a flower.
He considered all flowers that were not of the genius that he cultivated to be weeds. He worked in horticulture and propagated new flowers. He had mastered flower knowledge yet was in the infant stage of sensitivity. He failed to see the bud of sharing that was growing in my young daughters heart.
"That is not a flower, that is a weed" he said, as she presented her gift. " I do not want it, take it out of the house."
Her child like response was " But I picked it for you".
Needless to say. I was not pleased and my daughter appeared confused by the rejection. She went from a smile and out stretched hand to a bewildered look and retreat.
I followed.
I tried to explain to her that not everyone would appreciate our gifts and yet we should still give. He did not like her flower, but I did.
Years later, we still give a horrified laugh when we remember the insensitivity of the situation. There were other times when this same person was giving but had a hard time receiving. It would be easy to only perceive the weeds in life and not look for the flowers.
Weed or flower? The choice is yours.
It is really all about how you view it.
We used that day to learn to look beyond the obvious and try to be patient with each other.
By the grace of the Holy Spirit and a realization of our own faults we will be able to patiently anticipate the finished work in each other.
Only the potter knows when the pot is finished and complete. We are told to be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another.
Be patient with each other, sometimes things are not as they appear at the moment.
But the sculptor of our soul sees the complete picture before the unveiling.
Be patient.
Wait for the "Ta Da"! at the unveiling.
~Debbie
© 2010 Debbie Turner Chavers
Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
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