A Bouquet of Love

A Bouquet of Love

It had been a hectic Friday and finally the day was ending and the Sabbath was drawing peacefully near. I had been so busy that it had completely slipped my mind that one of my husband’s clients was planning to drop by our house to pass something onto him. I was quietly relaxing at the end of the day, lounging around in my comfortable pyjamas, when an unknown car pulled up into our drive way. Suddenly I remembered the client’s promise to drop in and I sprang up realising I was in my pyjamas and probably not in quite the right attire to answer the front door. My husband attended to the knock as I exited hastily out of the main part of the house and up the hallway into the privacy of our bedroom. I was waiting for his client to leave as soon as she had  passed the necessary item onto my husband, when he came up the hallway towards me carrying the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers I had ever seen. My first words were to question why his work client bought me flowers. My husband told me it wasn’t his work client at the front door. Now I was really confused. Where had the flowers come from? Who was at the front door after all?  He quickly explained that I had received a delivery from a florist and the client was yet to drop by. I knew the flowers were not from my husband as he seemed just as intrigued as I was. Who would be sending me such beautiful flowers? Suddenly I knew who they were from and before even reading the card I promptly and excitedly took a photo of them and sent it off to my best friend, who lives far away in the USA. I was still in complete surprise and totally awed by the gift when I enthusiastically opened the pretty card to read the message of friendship. My guess was right.My phone sounded and my best friend was just as excited as me. She had been patiently waiting all day for the flowers to be delivered. 

I was in amazement at the gesture of love and kindness shown towards me. The flowers were exceptionally spectacular. The roses were wine glass roses; huge goblet shaped flowers, with a lovely scent and delicately tinted in pink. Surrounding the dazzling roses were charming gerberas of different shades of pink, nestled among an assortment of greenery. The box of flowers was a visual array of a palette of pink. Pink is my favourite colour and I felt transported to heaven in a delight of a blush of flowers.

I was gazing at the flowers in wonder, admiring each tiny detail of their gentle petals, inhaling the pleasure of their aroma, when I thought of my precious friend. How much she must love me to send such an unexpected gift of joy at great expense. My eyes filled with tears to think of her far away yet still pouring her love into my heart through the beauty of flowers. 

It was then that God brought to my mind a paragraph in the book Steps to Christ p10         “ ‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green—all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.” 

How often I had read that paragraph and thought about it’s meaning only to find the depth of it eluded me. Now as I gazed in awe and wonder at the perfection of beauty and the love in the gift I understood the paragraph in a deeper sense. My eyes again filled with tears at the thought of a loving heavenly Father who loved me so much that He has showered upon me gifts of beauty. All around for me to enjoy, I see the works of His hands, the graceful flowers of varied hues, the colourful birds singing so sweetly and the trees of living green waving gently in the breeze. These are gifts to me given out of a heart filled with love. 

Do I see His love around me? Do I sense the warmth of His heart? Do I love Him in response to the glories of His gifts. God has surprises wrapped with love all around me? Do I stop to excitedly delight in them?

Psalm 104:24 - O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the earth is full of your riches.