On the edge of the road in front of my house, there is a tree. In certain seasons, the blooming flowers are scattered on the ground and also on the hood of our car that we park under the tree. For years, I had never really paid attention to the flower, until one morning I casually picked it up and watched it closely.
The flower is very small. The size is only as big as the nail of my thumb. The shape is similar to orchids but in a mini version. The flower has 4 soft greenish-white petals and 3 bright yellow corolla that decorated with the reddish orange graffiti that twists beautifully, like the ink strokes of a reliable painter. At the center, there are pistils and green stamens, the tip is round brownish red. Mini flower appearance is so beautiful. Regrettably, such beautiful flowers must be scattered on the ground, trampled by people passing by and run over by the wheels of passing vehicles.
This beautiful flower isn’t the kind of expensive flower that people hunt for collections, it isn’t the type of flower that the bride and groom buy to decorate the wedding hall, and not the type of flower arranged in a vase to beautify the banquet table. Its name isn’t as popular as roses, jasmine, orchids, or other flowers known to many people. Its size is small, so its beautiful appearance will not be exposed if we don’t carefully. It’s just a tiny flower that grows, blooms, then falls to the ground, and maybe not many are interested in admiring its beauty or knowing its usefulness. Then, for what does God dress the flowers in such detail and beauty ?!
Stay Loved even though We don’t Deserve to be Loved
God’s detailed and beautiful work on the small flower shows that God pays attention and expresses His creativity to all of His creations. There is no creation that is worthless. There are no useless creations. There is no creation that is created only for vanity, even more so humans for whom Jesus was even willing to sacrifice His life.
While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die. But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5: 6-8 AMP)
Jesus died for us not because we are godly, righteous people, obeying God’s laws, and have good qualities and good character. On the contrary, we were people who did not respect God, opposed God, did not even believe in God and were full of evil. In such an unworthy situation, Jesus loves us. In fact, God immediately revealed His redemptive plan only shortly after the first man fell into sin: “And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you and the woman, And between your seed (offspring) and her [e]Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, And you shall [only] bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3: 15 AMP)
It was the protevangelium, the first gospel message in the history of mankind, when the Lord gave His promise about the Savior. At the time the word was spoken, we didn’t yet exist in this world. There is no guarantee from ourselves, that we will be a good people and appreciate His sacrifice. In fact, from centuries to centuries many people actually rejected and mocked Him. God has known all of that from the beginning. But, God still loves humans and is willing to die for humans. How great is God’s love for humans, for us.
We don’t need to prove that we are worthy and deserve to be loved.
We have been loved by God from the beginning.
We have been valuable to God from the beginning.
God’s love for us isn’t based on reasons that comes from within us. God’s love for us comes from God himself. So, the reason why God loves us is because He loves us!
The problem is that we often judge ourselves based on the values that others attach to us. We measure ourselves and others based on certain measurements that we or others consider as important things. These measures can be physical appearance, branded stuff, type of car, position, intelligence, luxury of the house, the amount of balance in the bank, the number of followers on social media, and various other things that invite admiration from others. We feel superior when we have something we think is higher than someone else’s, and feel inferior when we feel that what we have is lower than someone else’s. Finally, we try hard so as not to be looked down on by others. In fact, when we think like that, actually we are looking down on ourselves.
Even worse, we unconsciously apply the same perspective to God. We think God will love us more if we are more active in ministry, make more offerings, read God’s words more often, pray longer, try to be more obedient and do things that we think will please God.
Yes, of course . . . Serving God, giving offerings, reading God’s word, praying, trying to obey, and doing things that we think will please God are very good. But, please don’t do all that with a reverse understanding, which is to be loved by God. Why? Because on the cross God has poured out all His love, completely. His love for us is eternal and perfect. Again, His eternal and perfect love is given to us when we are still sinful and unworthy to be loved!
There is no Reason to Feel Worthless and Unloved
Now, let’s return for a moment to a beautiful little flower that falls scattered on the ground, which I have told at the beginning of this article. The flower is flower of the Tamarind tree. The Tamarind Flower is not the main focus of the Tamarind tree. This is really different from the Rose, Jasmine, Orchid, Lilly, or other types of flowers that are deliberately planted and cultivated to get the flowers. What people are looking for from the Tamarind tree is the Tamarind fruit, not the flower. In fact, in my place, Tamarind leaves are more needed by people than Tamarind flowers. In addition, the size of the Tamarind flower is extremely small compared the natural height of the Tamarind tree can reach 30 meters, so that the flower is barely exposed, not prominent, and even tends to be ignored. However, God dressed the little flower with detail and beauty. It is as if God conveyed His message through the flower, that God cares for and loves all of His creation, and each part has been designed with the best design, not carelessly.
The God who created and dressed the small flower is God who said “it was very good” after He finished creating humans in His own image. That is what God says about us. Therefore . . . however our face looks, our body shape, our weight, our height, no matter how bad our past is, whatever our educational background, no matter how low our social or economic status. . . Don’t be inferior and feel worthless. Instead, let us not be arrogant because we feel more beautiful, richer, more educated, more respectable, and so on, because we are all the same!!!
We all have THE SAME PAST, a SINNER!
We are REDEEMED by THE SAME BLOOD, the BLOOD OF JESUS.
We accept THE SAME LOVE, that is the LOVE OF THE FATHER who was willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son.
We all DON’T DESERVE to be INSECURE or ARROGANT!
All we have to do is be GRATEFUL.
We should not do good to others to be more blessed by God, but let’s do it because we are grateful for the goodness of God that has been given to us and we long to be His witnesses and glorify His name. Let us not worship and serve God’s work with the aim of being loved more by God, but let’s do it because we love God who first loved us.
The God who created the whole universe is our Father. He is a good, planned, and responsible Father. He works in us in detail and perfect. We aren’t a mass product. Each of us is created unique, beautiful, special. So, there is no reason for us to feel worthless and unloved!
The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created].
All Your works shall give thanks to You and praise You, O Lord,
And Your godly ones will bless You.
(Psalm 145: 9-10 AMP)
By: Sella Irene – Beautiful Words
Photo Credit: Google Images ( unsplash.com ) edited with pixlr apps
Karina's Thought 