What do a flower shop and a seminary classroom have in common? These are two very different worlds. A flower shop is filled with a rainbow of colors, the perfume of flowers, and the artistry of talented florists that create visual masterpieces out of leaves, sticks, blooms, ribbon, wire, sparkles, rocks and moss (amongst other things). Vibrant and full of life are ways that you could describe a flower shop. In comparison, a seminary classroom seems sterile. Four plain white walls, lines of desks and chairs all facing a central lectern. Students engaged (or not so engaged) in learning and discussion, pursuing ministry training and academic interests. Two very different worlds.
Yet these two worlds have been my world.
When people ask me, “What do you do?” I often hesitate to give an answer. I study the Bible and I work as a florist. How do these two worlds come together? Indulge me for a minute while I turn to my Bible for an answer. I think Psalm 19 might prove enlightening.
Psalm 19: 1-4, 7-8
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
. . .
The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
A less poetic way to put it is this: There are two ways to learn about God, through nature and through the Bible. Nature continually displays God’s glory and constantly testifies about Him, even though no words are uttered. So, we can learn about God through the world around us. But nature is not the only means by which we can learn about God. God has revealed himself through the Bible and has much to say about who He is, what He has done, the world that we live in, who we are and what he has planned for our future. The question is “Are we listening?”
I spend a lot of time studying the Bible. Years of my life have been dedicated to it and thousands of dollars spent in the pursuit of understanding. Why? To what end? When it comes down to it, I study the Bible because I want to know God and I want to make sense of the world around me. And I believe the Bible can help me do that. I believe that the Bible contains a message from God for us. He has something to say to me and to you. And I, for one, want to hear it.
At the same time, I have also spent a lot of time in a flower shop working with flowers. And though I may not have always paid attention, I think flowers, as part of nature, have something to say about God. They have something to show us about who God is, about the world He made, and about me and you. But again, are we listening?
In this Lessons from the Flower Shop series of blog posts I want to take some time to listen to what the world of flowers and florists is saying about God and bring that into conversation with what God says through the Bible. Who knows what may come of such a venture? Maybe we will see God for the first time. Or maybe we will hear Him just a little more clearly? Perhaps the world of flowers and the classroom of a seminary have more in common than meets the eye.