Follow the Son

"Look how the sunflowers are all facing the same direction!" I said to my husband. It was true. The entire 70 acres of them were facing east. I had seen an article in our newspaper about this field of sunflowers we had driven several miles to see, and we weren't disappointed. This was amazing! The simple beauty of a single flower was multiplied by thousands, transforming them into awe-inspiring grandeur stretching toward the horizon.

I thought about the sight later, and I realized a spiritual application for Christian living can be drawn from this humble plant. Sunflowers are grown as a crop for several reasons, one of which is their oil, which is pressed from the seeds. Oil in the Bible is a symbol of the Holy Spirit who lives in every believer.

Not only is the sunflower good for oil, its seed is edible and provides food for birds, wildlife, and even man. When the believer allows the Holy Spirit to work in him, he will exhibit Christ's qualities and share the Bread of Life with the spiritually hungry.

The flower also produces nectar for butterflies and bees, the fringe benefits being that the bees pollinate the plant. Those who live for Jesus should have a sweetness of soul obvious to others. "Pleasant words are as the honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones," Proverbs 16:24.

Many uses have been found for the lowly sunflower, in medicine, industry, and other areas. Sunflowers can be pressed to make dye. As Christians, we should affect a change in our world. As dye changes a fabric, we can use our influence in changing the fabric of our society.

Another way the rugged sunflower is used is for windbreaks. Planted together, their hardy, fibrous strength gives protection to more vulnerable plants. Jesus is our windbreak, a shelter in the time of storm.

The sunflower does all this while still being beautiful! May we go through our days showing forth the beauty of Christ in our lives. Sunflowers are popular as cut flowers. Jesus was cut down in the midst of his beautiful, earthly life that we might live forever with Him. Perhaps the secret of the sunflower is that it faces the rising sun. An example for us to keep our eyes on the Risen Son!