A Sea Of Roses

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ard work has always been a favorite past time for both of my parents.  I distinctly remember mom and dad working in our yard during the spring and summer months.  Daddy would plant new grass and put down fertilizer to improve the quality and look of our lawn.  Mom planted flowers, placed hanging baskets filled with different types of plants on our front porch, worked on flower boxes to decorate the front of the house, and attended to the azalea bushes in our front yard.

One particular summer, mom decided she wanted to plant flowers along the sidewalk leading from the driveway to the front porch.  Our sidewalk had a lovely right-hand curve you approached the front of our house.  Mom decided that a row of flowers on both sides of the sidewalk would accentuate the sidewalk and enhance the overall look of our house.

Daddy wasted no time in making the flowerbeds, using a rotary tiller to break up the topsoil and prepare it for the flowers mom selected.  After several passes with the tiller and after further shaping of the beds by hand, the soil was ready to receive the flowers.  Mom chose a type of flower called sea roses.  They grew in small clusters with several buds of differing colors per plant.  The plants loved direct sunlight and since they were perennials, they were supposed to return the following spring. 

That year, the sea roses greatly enhanced the look of our home.  They continued to grow throughout the season, providing mom and dad many hours of pleasure.  In the fall, the plants lost their flowers and went to sleep.  It remained to be seen if they would re-emerge the following spring with all the beauty and vigor as their predecessors the year before.  When the following spring came, we were not disappointed.  The flowers sprouted and grew back and this time they were even heartier and prettier than the year before.

It should come as no surprise that God often compares the life of those who follow Him with plants.  The Scriptures are filled with many comparisons between a strong, healthy plant and those who have a firmly established relationship with God.  Psalm 1:3 gives us a wonderful example of this comparison, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”   

David opens the book of Psalms with this wonderful commentary on the hallmarks in the life of a person who follows God. Notice in this passage of scripture that David speaks of two distinguishing marks evident in the life of the believer.  1) The life of the believer is one that brings forth fruit in season.  The believer is compared to a tree that is planted by “streams of water.” Such trees have a constant supply of water, sunlight, and the nutrients necessary to produce fruit.

Likewise, those who follow God, must be firmly planted in Him and drink deeply from His word in order to produce spiritual fruit in their lives.  2)  David continues by saying that this tree’s leaves do not wither.  As long as a tree receives a steady supply of water, its life is maintained. It draws its very life from the stream and will thrive as long as it remains in contact with the water.  In the same way, believers in God, those who have accepted His son, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, will always draw from the inexhaustible supply of God’s grace found in Christ Jesus.

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t has been several years since we planted those sea roses in our front yard but the lesson they taught is still an integral part of my life.  Each year they returned to grace our sidewalk, re-enforcing the truths couched in Psalm 1.  As long as they remained anchored in the flowerbeds where they could draw nutrients from the soil, they produced beautiful flowers and they lasted the entire season.  As Christians, we must remain anchored in Jesus Christ.  It is only by remaining in him that we are able to bear the spiritual fruit that will lead others to receive him as savior and lord.  Does your life resemble a sea of roses today?