Frozen Flowers

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (NIV)

Creation testifies to me. Some of my deepest understanding of God's heart have come from being still and observing His created world around me. Maybe this is why I took an initial interest in sustainability early in my design education. It seemed like a holy mission to preserve all of God's natural outlets for revealing mysteries about who He is, and His will for us; although, after eight years of studying, my perspective has changed slightly.

The spring of my second year at UNC-G was one of the deepest times of learning and revelation in my life. We had been experiencing ice storms in North Carolina that year from late November well into the spring. One of the storms occurred after the flowers bloomed.

I love flowers. Especially wild flowers. One icy spring day, as I was walking around my campus, I couldn't help but to notice that I was surrounded by frozen treasures. Tiny white flowers were everywhere. Each one encapsulated by an exterior shell of ice. I picked a few and admired how pristine they were inside of this crystal coating. Still perfectly beautiful in color and form, the tiny flowers were captivating, but one thing was missing: the sweetness of their fragrance.

The Spirit of God grabbed my attention and began to speak.

"Your spirit is like this precious flower," He said, "perfect and beautiful in visibility. The ice is is like your flesh, binding you in so that you can't live in your true purpose. Your flesh must die, just as the ice must melt, for you to be free and release a sweet fragrance unto Me." (see 2 Cor 2:14-16,Eph 5:2, Lev 8:28)


The flesh and the spirit are antagonistic. Either the Spirit is putting the flesh to death, or the flesh is grieving the Spirit.(see Rom 8:5) With enough time, the ice would strangle the life out of those tiny flowers, but a warmth from the sun causes ice to melt. Likewise, being in the presence of the Lord will cause our flesh to melt, releasing a sweet fragrance of holiness to Him.


related posts:
Earth Worship and Child Sacrifice

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