God’s Word Will Not Fade Like the Flower.

The stargazer lilies along the edge of our back patio dared you to ignore them.

The plants stood tall with dark green stalks and hot pink dinner plate-sized blooms. You didn’t have to be anywhere close to catch a whiff of their super sweet scent. And believe me, you didn’t want to lean in close for fear of becoming overwhelmed by that fragrance explosion, or worse yet, forever stained by their pollen-laden anthers (those are the orange things in the photo). Once that stuff gets on you, it doesn’t come off easily.

So yeah, just try to pretend they weren’t there.

That is until late summer. The flowers and their assault eventually fade.

God’s Word will not fade like the flower.

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“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8, NASB)

Verse six in this same chapter tells us that “all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.”

Verse seven says, “The people are indeed grass!”

You and I are going to wither and fade. All we own is going to go away someday. That dream vehicle? Not gonna last.

I’ll give you an example of someone who can’t seem to be satisfied by what they have. I’ll explain later why we shouldn’t be too quick to judge them.

There’s this guy. He had a fairly old, small pickup truck. Nineteen years old, in fact. He said that truck was going to last him until he passed away.

Then the guy’s children had children and the old, small pickup lacked equipment to safely carry the grandkids’ car seats. Well, that wouldn’t do, so the guy purchased a new truck. He liked the old, small truck, so he bought a newer version so the grandchildren could ride safely.   

Then COVID came along, and the guy purchased a small travel trailer so he could go on vacation and not worry about cooties. He bought a small trailer because the truck was small.

Now the guy kind of enjoys camping, so he’s considering a larger trailer for the future—you know, in case the grandchildren want to go.

Problem is, he has a small truck. The guy is now considering a larger truck to pull the larger trailer. See how it works? Never seems to end.

But don’t be too hard on him. Many of that guy’s reasons are important. Safety is important. Grandchildren are important. Time away with family is important. But in the end, it will all go away. The truck, the trailer—even the guy. Everything eventually withers and fades.

Oh and… that guy is me.

Some days I spend too much time on those things that will fade away. Instead, I need to spend time on what will not fade—God’s word. I need to be more like the stargazer lily.

I want to stand tall for the Lord. When you walk by me, read something I’ve written, or hear me talk, I want you to have a hard time ignoring the influence of God’s word. I want the sweet fragrance of God’s word to grab your attention. I’d love it if a brush against me resulted in God’s word sticking to you like the pollen from the overloaded anthers on the lily.

Can you relate? How do you balance wanting things that will fade and sharing God’s word?

Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.