To Those Who Need God’s Light
Young sunflower plants follow the sun in a process known as heliotropism. As soon as sunflowers break the surface, their young buds begin searching for the light. Once they feel the warmth of the sun’s rays, they lean in and steadily follow it from east to west, drinking in every bit of light they can get.
Just as it’s the sunflowers nature to seek security in the warmth of the sun, we too are born vulnerable, with souls longing to be nurtured by God’s love. When we are given His love through faithful and caring parents, we spend our young days, following that source of love around, absorbing every bit of nourishment they provide as we grow in a firm foundation.
Sunflowers won’t flourish under just any light though, it MUST be the light of the sun. Artificial light is incapable of replicating the full range of color and the sheer magnitude of light the sun so effortlessly provides. Man made light will always need another source of power to be illuminated, but the sun was lit by a God so powerful and eternal that its flame will not be extinguished until He gives the command. Without the sun, sunflowers become weak and withered, their full potential neglected.
Like the sunflower, mankind cannot flourish under an artificial source of light. We try to thrive in the counterfeit glow of our jobs, money, beauty, sexuality, fame, novelty, and comfort. And spend our limited years spiritually starved under a light that will never have the ability to give us what we truly need, because we were never created to live under the light of false idols. We were created to live in the glorious light of our Creator. It’s only then that we will find our souls fully nourished.
Once the sunflower reaches maturity and begins to develop seed, its gaze fixes unwaveringly towards the east, knowing that the source of its survival will reveal itself there each morning. Time has shown the sunflower that facing east will allow them to warm quicker, attract more bees, and reproduce with more efficiency and success. Facing the direct sunlight also helps light up ultraviolet markings on the flower petals that are visible to bees, making the sunflower more attractive.
Like the sunflower, as we mature spiritually, we begin keeping our gaze unwaveringly on Christ. We become filled with seeds of faith waiting to be planted for God’s Kingdom so His harvest of believers can be abundant. And just as ultraviolet rays attract bees to sunflowers, His magnificent light will shine on your life, making you appear ultraviolet rays to those feeling hopeless. So don’t be afraid to shine your light to our broken world, you never know how your reflection of His light may be experienced by those around you.
