Sunflowers are fascinating plants. Indigenous to North America, they can grow up to a height of 30 feet, but that's not event the most amazing thing about them. Sunflowers exhibit a behavior called heliotropism which means that they follow the sun. At dawn, they face east and as the sun makes its trek across the sky throughout the day, the flowers turn their faces to track its journey. This ensures that the plants get the light they need to thrive. In the same way, people need light too.
The light of Christ came into this world 2,000 years ago, and it hasn't stopped since. But unlike our sun that shines at predictable times and ways, God's Son shines through people just like you and me.
The Christian writer C.S. Lewis once remarked, “I believe in Christ like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything.” When we help others to see their story as part of the story, that light shines in us.
When we call and check on the people God has put into our lives, that light shines in us. When we refuse to become discouraged at the news coming from our TV's and computers and trust that despite any and all evidence to the contrary, God's got this, that light shines in us. It shines when, like those sunflowers, we set our faces toward the Son and follow wherever He goes.
One more cool sunflower fact – a sunflower isn't just one flower. Inside the head of the average sunflower are between 800-1000 tiny smaller flowers, arranged in a series of interlocking spirals. Each one is capable of producing a sunflower seed. From just one plant, if the conditions are right, you can end up with 1000 more.
That's the source of abundance that the Creator fashioned in this amazing flower, and He fashioned it in us too. When we let our light shine, and we share our stories with others, a seed is planted. Each time we do this we have no way of knowing the sort of yield it may have. It could be that a seed we plant doesn't take root, or it could be that it does, and it produces 30, 60, 100, maybe even 1000 more. And each time it does, those seeds can grow on to keep producing, and their seeds can grow on to keep producing. So, no matter what, keep on shining! Keep sharing the light so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.
