Rock Flowers

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DUTCH CROCUS (CROCUS VERNUS) GROWING IN CRUSHED ROCK FLOWER BED

CELERY

The road to discipleship is anything but easy. Today, our path as members of the Relevant Church seems fraught with challenges from all directions – calamities, disease, unprecedented environmental degradation, senseless deaths at the hands of hostile or desperate or dysfunctional gun-wielders, alarming wars born of unmitigated human pride and arrogance.

I edited an article and repost it here, originally published on December 6, 2022 about the rock flower, perhaps as a reminder that we, too, are one way or another, God’s rock flowers who are called to flourish despite myriad imperfections and failures and life’s hard surfaces. And precisely, because we are his disciples, we are the Church, and with God’s relentless grace, we shall prevail.

But it starts and ends with our individual response and surrender to his call, in and from our very own homes.  We are far from helpless, for the power we hold comes from God’s grace, propelling our unwavering love, faith and hope.

Our family’s beach outing started ordinarily. Or so I thought. However, towards the afternoon, without warning, my daughter, Amanda, experienced extreme mental disturbance that we feared would turn into an episode. We spent that harrowing night steeped in continuous prayer and asking others to pray with us. By the following morning, Amanda was healed.

Could that be anything else but a miracle? I just knew it was God who had calmed the storm! But he was not yet done. His message was delivered on our last day at the beach, through my morning reading from Streams in the Desert.

“I have always been glad that the Psalmist said to God that some things were hard. There is no mistake about it; there are hard things in life. Some beautiful pink flowers were given me this summer, and as I took them I said, “What are they?” And the answer came, “They are rock flowers; they grow and bloom only on rocks where you can see no soil.” Then I thought of God’s flowers growing in hard places; and I feel, somehow, that he may have a peculiar tenderness for his “rock flowers” that he may not have for his lilies and roses.” 

Thus came another Elijah-like moment. I became suddenly aware that Amanda is God’s rock flower – and that he has a “peculiar tenderness ” for her as his rock flower! In a much deeper light, I understood and appreciated how flowers grow and bloom under varying conditions, climates, environments, and circumstances, just as a person does. And that is what makes a person unique, unlike no other – with one’s own giftedness and capabilities.

 

WILD FLOWERS GROWING IN A CRACK IN A ROCK 

Then I reflected on how, if I were to look at everyone through God’s eyes, especially those rock flowers in his field, he would allow me to see them as equals, without judgment, recognizing only their potential for good and the purpose for which he created them. EACH ONE MATTERS – no matter one’s race, country, gender identity, religion, societal status, physical or mental impairment, appearance, or background. There will be no room for anyone to feel superior or inferior.  And “social forgiveness” alone will not suffice.

“In our dream to create a universal fraternity, we cannot simply be feeling good about the idea of “social forgiveness,” and then remain in our lack of capacity to enter into dialogue with people around us, ” …especially those who are different from us. (Second Sunday of Advent, 365 Days with the Lord 2022 – Liturgical Biblical Diary, St. Pauls Philippines)  

I realized that certain key ingredients are necessary for dialogue to happen, based on my experience with Amanda.  It had to start with humility, open-mindedness, a nonjudgmental attitude, and a listening heart. These factors helped us to develop a loving relationship with each other and allowed me an unbiased and objective view of her as a person – certainly the opposite of how we were when she was younger. Then came understanding and appreciation for one another, followed by peace. I can imagine this already happening among many with families, friends, and communities across the world. Finding common ground with each other can result in harmony and unity despite differences.

But it must start with me. Honesty to God and self must first take place before I can relate to others truthfully. It requires my time and effort, and my faith and courage. Only with God’s grace will I be able to participate freely and fully in a productive dialogue with others – in his name, his presence, and his unconditional love.

When peace reigns, God reigns!

4 COMMENTS

  1. Wonderful, Celia! Thank you for sharing your insights about God’s Rock Flowers 🌺 finding the beauty in each person we encounter, understanding and accepting them as one of God’s creation.

  3. The flowers growing in between cement cracks on the pavement fascinate me. I find it incredible that they can grow so beautifully amidst hardly any soil or water. I find myself gazing at them for a moment as I admire their resilience!

    Love the word “tenderness” that is used to describe how God sees Rock Flowers. Thank you for sharing.

    Indeed, Rock Flowers are beautiful… because they rock!!!

  4. Thank you for posting this article again Celia. I believe each family and we ourselves are rock flowers at certain periods in our lives. It is God that makes everything beautiful if we just see everyone through God’s eyes.

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