I thoroughly enjoy the discount flower section in our local grocery store. Every time I go in, I quickly walk down the aisle to see if any “reduced” stickers catch my eye. Last week, as I made my way down the old familiar path, I caught myself smelling countless bouquets ranging from roses to carnations. And sure enough, tucked in the corner of the flower section sat a buggy filled with severely discounted bouquets – some marked as low as 63 cents!
My heart fluttered at the idea of having my home filled with affordable flowers. After all, we’re finally getting a taste of spring here in Mississippi. We know that the summer heat will arrive with a vengeance before long. So, in the meantime, we try to enjoy the season’s cooler (and short-lived) temps. And there’s no doubt that my favorite way to celebrate the season is with all the flowers I can get my hands on.
But, as I began to inspect the baskets full of cheap flowers, I noticed that there wasn’t much – if anything – wrong with these creations. Sure, some were a little bit wilted, but it was nothing that some freshwater couldn’t handle. On another, I noticed one dead flower out of a large bouquet of 20+ flowers. But overall, the majority of them were fine – beautiful even.
I couldn’t help but to seize the opportunity. I bought multiple bouquets to make my own arrangements. All it took was a little work weeding through the weaker stems. Much to my surprise, as I started pruning, I noticed blood dripping from my index finger. In the middle of weeding out dead roses, a thorn got me.
“Great,” I said aloud. “This useless flower caused me to bleed.”
My mood went from motivated to irritated faster than I would like to admit. As I started my search for Band-Aids, my thoughts shifted back to the cost of the flowers. I remembered how quickly the store discounted them to make sure that they made a profit and got them off of the shelves fast. But for what? A few broken leaves. One wilted flower among more than a dozen? What was their real worth? Was one tiny imperfection their ticket to the trash?
In our world, we’re taught a lot about quick fixes. If it’s broke? Throw it away.
The culture says we shouldn’t waste time loving something broken. We should get something new, something better! But of course, this applies to more than just discounted grocery store flowers; it fits the bill for cars, friendships, and marriages.
Yep, grace and tenderness are things of the past in 2023. That is unless you know Jesus.
Without His grace, we would be worthless. A single sin or imperfection would push us out of eternity with Him. Instead of a sticker that said “reduced price,” ours would say, “I never knew you; depart from me” (Matthew 7:23).
Take a second. Imagine your life without Jesus. Start counting all your sins from just this morning. Is there more than one? Yes? Well, then, that settles it. You’re out of the running for heaven. Wouldn’t it be so hard to live another day if that were the case?
Enter King Jesus.
All of those disqualifiers you just thought of? Replace them with Psalm 103:11-12.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the East is from the West,
so far, he has removed our transgressions from us.
Because of our perfect rose of Sharon, we have been given a grace we didn’t deserve. Instead of giving us a one-way ticket to Hell, He opened the door so we could live in eternity with Him. His blood bought something that was otherwise useless. What a gift!
Nothing could ever compare to the grace we have been given. He is a good and faithful God. May we never forget the amount of grace He so freely gives!
