I saw God in a pot of marigolds

I have had a plant stand and two empty pots on my new front porch since we moved in. Every day I have looked longingly at them wanting to go to the greenhouse and fill them with flowers. We moved after the spring planting season, and I have resigned myself to no real gardening this year, but I just wanted a few pots.

This morning I was blessed by a visit to our home from three ladies from our church. Sue, our church secretary, had called early this week to see if they could stop by. I am not used to "visitation" of this kind from people I don't know well, so I was a little anxious. As they walked up the sidewalk I could see their arms full of gifts. They brought pastries and fresh fruit, two devotional books for me, some special lotion and body spray and yes, a big pot of marigolds mixed with perennials and a little birdhouse.

What prompts this kind of love? Why did these very busy ladies take their morning and come to my home? We make so many excuses these days for why we don't have time for people anymore. We explain the lack of outreach to others as a result of our society and the pressures that come from it's hurried pace. The truth is our frenzy to acquire more and do more creates a painful isolation and is not at all what God planned for us. His heart's desire is for us to love and care for one another.

I have been hearing God's call to simplify my life for many reasons, but today I saw His face in the beautiful pot of marigolds and the shining faces of three sisters, and He spoke to me again. Take time. Make time. Be God's hands wherever you are. Keep refining what really matters. You will be richly blessed.

Thank you for the gift of these ladies and their visit today. In as much as they did it unto me they did it unto You! Thank you for my pot of marigolds, a new place I can daily see Your face and revel in Your favor.