THE BONDS OF FAMILY

Family is a peculiar thing. It is a dynamic where a small band (sometimes it’s large) of people, who are all different, live together, love each other, and in some cases will die for one another. As I sat on my deck, admiring my beautiful flowers, I began to realize how much these flowers resembled a family unit. In one trough, there are many varieties of flowers. Some are tall and stand out, some are short and spread wide. Some have a vibrant color and some are pale but frilly. Some have very intricate designs and some are simple yet elegant. They are all different and yet they are all flowers in the same trough, just like a family.

In this one trough, made up of flowers that have been created and designed differently by our Creator, each flower grows together. Below the soil, their roots entangle with each other until you cannot decipher which roots go with which flower. Above the soil, their branches intertwine together making a beautiful masterpiece of color. If one flower is suddenly pulled out, a gigantic hole would be left; a noticeable space where life once lived. Because the branches are so intertwined, sometimes a few of the branches of the flowers closest to it are broken as the one is pulled out. The picture would be scarred; no longer complete. The balance of color and shape would be off, giving one, who is looking from the outside, the impression that something is missing.

Once a hole is made, the other flowers do not instantly fill the gap. The hole remains for a very long time, if not forever. It is only until the Creator deepens the roots of the others that their branches extend filling the space left behind by the one flower that was removed. Though the trough may once again appear full, it never looks like it once did before the one flower disappeared. Evidence of brokenness can be seen in the way the flowers that are left will grow. Sometimes branches that were broken off will remain stubby or will never grow back; will never again bloom and yet over time, some, whose roots grow deep will grow strong and will produce the most beautiful blooms that will make the whole trough a vision of God’s glory in a new way. Colossians 2:6-7 tells us, “Let your roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. There your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.” Psalm 1:3 says, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Notice this Psalm says that it produces its fruit “in season” meaning there are seasons when fruit does not appear. In a family, when one is suddenly taken, there will be a season, just like in the trough of flowers, where growth does not appear. The ground will lay bare where a hole was left until the LORD deepens the roots of those left behind in his streams of living water. Through the emptiness and brokenness, the Creator will grow a picture of life in him that will be beautiful and strong in a new way. Be patient; wait for it. In its season, it will come!