WILD FLAX FLOWERS

Wildflowers are a gift, blooming without coaxing or cultivation. And what could be more extravagant than a flower that blooms for only one day? Although a flax plant may produce flowers all summer long, each bloom lasts for just one day. Early in the morning, the teardrop-shaped bud unfurls into a cylinder, and from there into a sort of pinwheel, its five petals tucked one beneath the next with geometric precision, forming a pale blue cup. As the morning sun reaches it, the petals open fully. Sometimes the flower turns toward the sun, petals spread nearly flat into a disc. By evening it droops, looking soft and fragile. The next morning, other buds are still suspended like beads from the curving gray-green stem, but the petals of yesterday’s bloom lie wrinkled and scattered at the base of the plant. Later there will be seed pods like little globe-shaped hanging lanterns, each containing five dark, smooth seeds. But the beauty of the flower is given to just one day.

Sometimes one day is all we are given too. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus says, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). When God sent manna in the desert for the Israelites, it lasted for only one day, except for what fell the day before the Sabbath. If the people wanted to eat, they had to gather it six days a week. Of course there are seasons for planning, but in some key areas of life, daily is the necessary rhythm. Eating. Sleeping. Praying.

Whatever we do, whether we are receiving a gift from God or following as He leads, today is the time. Thank You, Lord, for today. We turn our faces to You to receive love, life, and guidance, and to pour back praise and obedience. How do You want our lives to bloom today?

Dianna