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A weed grows between the underground metro tracks, trees roots triumph over boulders, and stubborn pumpkin plants yet bloom in my refuse pile--such underdogs of the natural world give me wonder.
I believe God infuses the physical things of our world with spiritual truths--not through any kind of pantheistic mumbo-jumbo, but in the same way that the scriptures reference nature to grant us insight into otherwise hard-to-grasp spiritual realities. Seeds, lilies, wheat, and fig trees....God chose timeless natural references to anchor our fuzzy thinking.
When I saw the brilliant orange flowers of this mostly-dead pumpkin vine blooming valiantly in my gutter, it spoke to me of the highest form of parenting. Parents bloom in hardest of places to succor the lives of their children. They place their children's well being above their own, an impulse I believe is hard-wired by our Creator.
I sense the veracity of this truth because I am a very selfish person in many regards--I prefer ease, rest, and peace. Self-sacrifice comes begrudgingly at best. But, something in me would give up most anything, if necessary, for the livelihood and health of my children...regardless of whether they "deserved" it and certainly not because I am a "good person"---it's more that I can't help myself.
Some people would attribute such an impulse to evolutionary eugenics. It's survival of the fittest and nothing more. However, I suspect it's the much more intimate hallmark of a Father who loves his Creation no matter what---a Father who builds us up to love our family in this same way. Parent-love is an imperfect shadow of His perfect love for us--sacrificial, tenacious, boundless.
It always makes me happy to see a flower or tree thrive--on a much grander scale I delight to see my children--really, after all, His children--flourish. It is in fact a joy to.
"do onto others as you would have them do onto you."
