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“For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,
blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
Psalm 84:11-12 (ESV)

God uses sunflowers to get His personal messages to me!

Why sunflowers?

For me, sunflowers are a really big deal. I have loved the beautiful flower for many years, long before I entered the season of widowhood.

Back in 1999, a wonderful group of ladies came together. We called ourselves Garden Friends. The one thing we had in common — we were ‘fluffy’. The world might have called us ‘overweight.’ But for us, happy and fluffy was the perfect description.

Deciding we truly needed God’s help in our endeavor to lose some weight, we made a vow to pray for each other. Because we were now known as Garden Friends, we chose a flower to represent us.

I chose the sunflower.

I loved the beautiful flower and loved that the blossom followed the path of the sun from dawn til dusk. The sunflower knew where its strength came from and followed that source – a lesson I needed to learn from that flower.

Some call sunflowers a weed — but I have called them a beautiful blessing in my life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:

“A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.”

I have discovered the virtue of sunflowers.

God’s message through the sunflowers

To be very honest with you, after my husband passed away in July, 2016, I found myself in a crisis of my faith. Even though I didn’t realize it as a little girl, Steve was an answer to a prayer I prayed every night with my mother.

“Dear Jesus, please let me get married and have babies.”

Jesus answered those whispered childhood prayers.

Sitting on my back porch one morning, early in my grief, I asked the Lord, “What now?

I thought about the desire of that little girl’s heart. Would I find a new desire for my life today – a life without Steve in it? I boldly cried, “I need to know the reality of You, Lord…please.”

In the days to come, I began to see many things that instantly reminded me of my prayer.

Checking the progress of a pretty pink plant, planted in a brand-new flowerpot, with the best new potting soil I could find, there growing was a beautiful, huge sunflower-like the ones I had seen only in flower shops. How could I have missed that huge sunflower!

And thus began the most wonderful and intimate time with the Lord. He knew my heart, knew the things that brought me the greatest comfort…

HE LOVED ME!

I knew that, had always known that, but my heart was so broken. I missed my husband so much, how could Steve’s homegoing be evidence of God’s love for me?

Before it got hot here in Texas this summer, I ‘created’ a new flower bed.

I hauled dirt over with the tractor, built the bed, and planted some new things.

Checking out the progress recently, I saw two plants growing that I had not planted. They were sunflowers –just like the ones God divinely planted for me just after Steve went to Heaven.

As I have watched them grow, larger than any I have ever seen, I knew God was sending me a message.

“I’m here. Everything is going to be alright.”

The message was so clear. My heart heard it.

As the days passed and I watched the sunflowers grow, I began to experience excruciating pain in my abdomen. After several painful nights, I went to the doctor for tests.

I fully expected to hear that my gallbladder was causing the pain. I was right.

As the nurse finished explaining about my gallbladder, she said, “You also have a mass in your right kidney.”

In the days ahead, there will be surgeries and more doctor’s visits I will face without Steve holding my hand.

When my heart grows anxious, I will remember God’s message in the sunflowers.

“I’m here. It’s all going to be alright.”

Loud and clear.

A message He wanted me to know — because He loves me that much.

Our Heavenly Father, how can we thank You for Your love and the wonderful messages You send to comfort our hearts. Help us to trust You in all things. I thank You Father for Your message in the sunflowers. Amen