A bouquet of silk flowers sits on your table. Years ago, it was new. Its colors were vibrant and rich. The edges of the petals were crisp and strong.
Now, the bouquet simply takes up space. The blossoms still look OK if you don’t peer too closely. But the once-deep reds are no longer passionate. Bright yellows have paled and the rich greens are faded. True, they take no work to maintain. But every now and then, a clumsy adult or an innocent child walks by and the flowers get a nudge or a shake. When the dust settles, the blossoms pull and stretch downward even further.
It’s Easy for Christians to Be Like Those Flowers
Our first days walking with Christ overflow with excitement and color. Yet over time, faith can slip into a faded, dusty complacency.
We may look OK on the outside. But a little shake stirs up a mess that may require us to overhaul the whole room. It’s too much effort because we’ve got too many other things demanding our attention.
Growing real flowers – living a healthy spiritual life – is a lot more work than simply maintaining a silk bouquet. The soil needs cultivation and feeding not once, but regularly. There are blooms to be pruned, rubbish to be carted away, and new seeds to plant. Cultivating the fields of our souls and pulling weeds from our hearts can take a back seat to packed calendars and daily crises.
But which has lasting value – a complacent Christian or the real thing? Compare the two and decide for yourself:
- Real flowers are formed by the heavenly Father. Silk flowers are man-made.
- Real flowers spread a lovely aroma. Silk flowers have no scent.
- Real flowers bear fruit. Silk flowers produce nothing.
- Real flowers re-seed and renew. Silk flowers just fade and get thrown away.
