If you were a flower, which one would you be?
Would you be a strong and hardy bloom, or something lighter and more delicate?
Or maybe you would be something in between.
I’ve been looking at various flowers recently in preparation for my upcoming wedding. As I’ve gotten deeper into the process, I’ve been enchanted with the sheer variety of colors, shapes and sizes that beautify our earth.
Like fingerprints and snowflakes, spirits and souls, the individuality these living beings holds is astounding.
When called to choose my favorite flower, I can’t. I like so many of them. I tend to prefer the appearance of more delicate flowers – hydrangea, orchid, tulip, Japanese cherry blossom, rose and lavender are just a few.
But I am also perennially fascinated by the lotus flower, which is often used to represent spirituality and symbolizes strength, resilience and rebirth.
I suppose those flowers we hold a special regard for in our hearts can tell us a great deal about ourselves.
The symbolic language of flowers has been one of the more beautiful expressions humans have used to communicate with loved ones through history.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, nicknamed “The Little Flower,” used flowers as a metaphor in her autobiography “The Story of a Soul” to illustrate how every soul is different and incomparable to another.
“The splendor of the rose and whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. I realized that if every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness and there would be no wild flowers to make the meadows gay. … Perfection consists in doing His will, in being that which He wants us to be.”
To paraphrase: Each of our souls has a unique blueprint, and we waste far too much time trying to fit into society’s or our loved ones’ expectations of who we should be, how we should live and what we should do with our lives.
Some of us were born to do “great” things and some of us were born to do more humble things. In the sight of the divine, the “great” things and the “humble” things hold equal merit. By trying to fit in, we often delay or miss our unique expression of the divine in this world altogether. But by being true to who we are as we were created, we accomplish that for which we were sent.
And, ultimately, we were all sent to accomplish the same purpose: The bonding of the web of humanity into the love by which and for which we were created.
Seen through the eyes of the spirit, those who act as food or sanitation workers serve humanity as much as those who save lives through modern medicine. The hearts and souls of those who have physical or mental limitations are as strong and robust as those who function “typically.”
What matters most is not what we do but who we are.
And in the heart of the divine, we are all designed to be incomparably, one-of-a-kind beautiful.
It is up to us to live and be that beauty for which we were designed.
“God looks after every soul as if it had no equal. All is planned for the good of every soul, exactly as the seasons are so arranged that the humblest daisy blossoms at the appointed time.”
SPIRIT MATTERS is a weekly column that examines experiences common to the human spirit. Contact Jerrilyn Zavada at jzblue33@yahoo.com to share how you engage your spirit in your life and community.