I had a long, deep discussion with my son last night about music. We talked about how playing music is not about getting to the end, but enjoying the notes, rhythms, melodies, harmonies, chords and riffs. Playing music is purely for the purpose of the experience itself. Playing music is not a hurried activity. There is no pinnacle of success – you are playing simply for the joy and pleasure of the sounds and emotions those sounds invoke.
Dahlia Delight
I related this to something I thought about earlier this week. Flowers. Flowers bring such beauty and pleasure to so much of our lives. People dedicate their entire lives to cultivating, growing, picking, preserving, and selling flowers. Flowers serve no necessary purpose really. They are a fleeting, seasonal, and temporary pleasure. But such an intrinsic part of our existence.
What would a wedding, funeral, romance, relationship, or friendship be without flowers? From a simple bouquet of wildflowers tied with a string to the most elaborate designs, flowers bring the beauty of life to life. In Victorian times, flowers were considered a symbolic language. They could be used to communicate deep emotions – from love to death, hate to passion. I have incorporated the mythical language of flowers into the descriptions of my products. Not that I believe that is their specific purpose, but to share the history and traditions of giving flowers as a way to communicate.
Right now there is a tulip festival going on in my hometown. Tulips are so very temporary, but the life they bring to the community is invaluable. Farmers cultivate acre after acre, year after year. They plant the bulbs, cultivate them, cut down the flowers, dig up the bulbs, and repeat that cycle for their entire working life. People drive mile after mile, coming from around the world to see the Skagit Tulip Festival or the fields of Holland. For only a few weeks, the dazzling rows of every color create a beautiful quilt across the valley. On a rainy gray day the vibrant colors are enhanced by the subtle backdrop. On a sunny day we are dazzled with the snowcapped mountains, miles of fields, and the brilliance of the blue sky as a backdrop to the most colorful palette nature has to offer.
We can’t eat them or do anything other than pick them, arrange them, and throw them out. Or, if you’re me, you might add a couple steps – pick them, pluck them apart, press them and dry them, then use them as paints to create unique art designs.
What would a walk in the forest be without the delight of huge ferns, bleeding hearts, wild roses, and tiny wildflowers to enhance the beauty of our surroundings? They are there completely for our pleasure, and I am convinced for the pleasure of the Creator. Why else would he add such intricate details that we would never see unless we disassemble the blooms? There are an array of hues and tints and colors not visible unless you open them up and take them apart. The stamens and pistils are intricately designed solely for the purpose of reproducing the flowers for our pleasure and His.
From the most elaborate botanical gardens to my back yard, from dandelions along the side of the road to the gardens of the most elaborate homes, the purpose of flowers is to bring visual pleasure and emotion to our daily lives. Just like us, they were created just for the simple purpose to love and be loved. We are temporarily here on this earth to bring pleasure and beauty to the lives of others. We, like flowers, are here to reflect the beautiful creations of a Holy God who finds great pleasure in us and his flowers. Imagine the vast array of colors in a tulip field and fathom the flower gardens of heaven we have to look forward to.
The purpose of flowers, and even music, are only to bring us visual and emotional pleasure in the moment. When was the last time you got flowers? How did that make you feel? What is your favorite flower and what memories does it invoke? When was the last time you planted a basket of petunias or pansies, remembering your childhood? When did you last buy yourself a bouquet at the grocery store simply to brighten up your dining room table? Share with me your memories, your connections, and emotions that certain flowers bring to your life.
