Us Weeds

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. -Isaiah 11:6 (NRSV)

Alice and I go for nature walks. Her greatest joy is discovering the first dandelions. On one of our walks, she smiled when she noticed the bright yellow flowers at our feet. "Look, Daddy! Aren't they beautiful?" She was quiet for a moment. Then she frowned and said, "I wish people didn't call them weeds! They're God's flowers too!"

Her words caused me to stop and think about people as God's flowers. We often turn away from people who look different or speak a different language. Even in church, we allow our bias to cloud our thinking. We hinder the Spirit of God by not realizing our lives are owned by the One Redeemer. We may look at entire nations in a negative way. Sometimes we think of those we consider "outsiders" as weeds.

But differences are not a reason to label, reject, or ignore. All of us want to be heard, to be respected, to be understood, to be loved. We are all "God's flowers." Alice causes me to want to overcome prejudices and work toward unity with others. She also reminds me that flowers are not the only beautiful things in the world. In fact, she is one of the most beautiful things I have ever known. She also comforts her dad in allowing me to know that great things are in store for all of us...even us weeds.

You know I Love Ya, Don