Easter Flowers

When I was a kid growing up in a Southern Baptist church in South Louisiana, church services were a pretty formal affair. There were plush pews, a huge choir loft and, of course, fresh flowers up front for every service. These days, the church I attend is pretty laid back--the pastor wears jeans! (My grandmother would have a thing or two to say about that!) Our church is very nicely appointed, but to my knowledge we've never had fresh flowers on Sunday. 

This Easter, I was invited to design something for up by the podium and I must say, it brought back memories of my childhood. Most of the flowers for the arrangement came from my yard, with roses and larkspur added in from the local market. I loved the way it all came together. Now, if only we could get the congregation to sing some good ole hymns of the faith! 

This arrangement reminded me of the importance of showing up and offering up what you have to give. Sometimes, we feel spent--physically, emotionally, spiritually, or quite literally financially--and that's not the time for the grand gesture. Maybe all we can do on those days is smile, pray, and offer the kindness of grace to ourselves and others. Actually, those are not small things at all! 

I tend to live inside my head where a "go big or go home" mentality reigns. If it can't be amazing, I reason, why bother. I can feel defeated before I even begin. So, I try to remember that the grandeur of Christ's love is made perfect in our weakness. He doesn't ask us to be bigger than ourselves, but to humbly offer our lives and our gifts as a living sacrifice to Him. He will do the "biggering" if that is part of His plan. What a relief it is to know that God has a plan for our lives! We don't need to overthink it, we just need to show up, have faith, and persevere. Happy Easter friends!