He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecc 3:11

I looked down at the shriveled bud lying on the windowsill under my orchid plant and wondered what had gone wrong. When I moved to my apartment, the plant had four buds forming on it. I was excited to see it bloom, as orchid flowers are so intricate, delicate, and showcase Gods’ amazing artistry. If taken care of, they last an amazingly long time. But they are also very sensitive and if damaged, shrivel up in minutes.

Unfortunately, the first bud shriveled and fell off. I figured it might have been because of some trauma during the move. But as the days went by, two more buds fell off. I was afraid that the remaining one would also fall off. Through some research about orchids, I remembered that orchids like indirect sunlight. The orchid was sitting on the sill of a south facing window where it got bright sunlight. So, I moved it to a north facing window, where sunlight never directly hit it, but it got lots of daylight. And I waited, hoping this would save the last bud on my orchid.

To my delight the remaining bud didn’t shrivel up. It has now swelled much bigger than any of the previous buds. Any day now it will unfold into a beautiful flower. In addition, there are four new buds that are also growing happily. Soon this orchid will be heavily laden with pretty flowers.

Sometimes we may feel like we are the orchid. We try to put out beautiful things into the world, but it all falls flat. Just like the orchid, our environment is significant in our ability to flourish. So this is an invitation to consider your environment and how it affects your life. What does your room or house look like? Who are the people you hang out with? Do you ever let yourself relax and soak in the feeling of a beautiful space? What are you trying to do and what environment will help you achieve that?

- Pastor Kristen