Let the Love of God Shine Through Your Life

I was at a friend's house recently and she had a vase of stunning bright blue daisies on her table. As beautiful as the flowers were, the water visible in the clear glass vase was just as beautiful because it was the same vibrant blue color. Together they made a beautiful picture. My friend told me the flowers were originally white daisies which were soaked in blue dye. As the dye was absorbed up through the stem it reached the flower and changed its appearance. When the flower was placed in the vase of clear water, the dye began to seep back down through the stem and changed the color of the water. An interesting thing here is that the flower did not lose it's vibrant color but rather shared the color with the water.


This image came back to me several times in the ensuing days and I began to realize there is a spiritual lesson here. In Matthew 5: 14-16 Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven".

As I began to meditate on this scripture and others, I could see the connection to the vase of blue flowers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 in the Message says in part: …"And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." In the New Century Version 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says in part, "But when a person changes and follows the Lord,….We all show the Lord's glory, and we are being changed to be like Him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

When we accept Jesus as our Savior we are like the daisies. When our sins are washed away we start our spiritual life as white as the daisies were. As we spend time in the presence of God, absorbing His character and goodness through prayer and studying His Word, we begin to change to be like Him. We begin to absorb the 'color' of His character. The people around us can see this on a surface level as illustrated by the color of the flower. As we continue in the life changing experience of walking with God, His character will begin to seep deep into our souls and spirits and will be reflected through our words, deeds, attitudes, values, and character. This is illustrated by the water changing color to match the color of the flower. And the type of vase is important in this illustration. A vase that is not transparent will still have the same beautiful color of water but it will not be readily seen or recognized by others. A clear vase will reflect the full color in all its vibrancy. So we should aspire to be transparent, clear vessels reflecting the character of God for all to see so they may give praise to our heavenly Father.

Shalom, Judy