There is beauty everywhere this time of year. I find myself wanting to capture it, to savor it because this fresh bloom of early summer is so fleeting.
It’s interesting how often the Scriptures link the beauty of flowers with the fleeting nature of our lives.
“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.”
Psalm 103:15-16
“The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass.”
Isaiah 40:7
“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.”
James 1:11
There are no romantic poems in Scripture glorying in the beauty or fragrance of these magnificent creations. Rather, we are constantly reminded, “This won’t last. Your life won’t last.”
Depressing? It will be if we fix our eyes on the here and now.
Rather, these Scriptures are pointing us to hold on to what DOES last. The steadfast love of God (Psalm 103:17), the Word of our God (Isaiah 40:8), our God who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).
In these days when the whole world seems to be shifting beneath our feet, where will we put our hope? Where will we find lasting stability? Only in the steadfast love of our God. We can trust His unchanging character. We can trust His sovereign plan.