Daffodils

It has been over a month ago now since I looked out of my living room window and noticed little daffodil bulbs pushing their way through the soil. It always surprises me when I see them, as I forget they are there. Nonetheless, all through the winter they have been waiting to whisper ever so softly to me, 'Winter is almost over, Spring is waking up'.

After months of freezing temperatures, icy mornings, and blankets of snow, my little bulbs had lay sleeping beneath the ground, all but forgotten till that morning back in March. First of course just green tips appeared, hardly making a dent in the soil. Then in what seems a blink of the eyes, long stalks had grown, and they proudly waved their treasure filled heads high above the ground. Though of course their beauty was still hidden, like hands cusped around a trapped butterfly. A treasure within still yet to be revealed.

My contempt of their apparent dullness did not stop them, their mission must be accomplished. And it seemed they heard my scowling remarks as they called back to me,'You can't stop us now, look how tall we are, be patient dear Gardener, soon the fruit of your labour will be revealed and you shall see us in all our glory'.


It happened one early morning a few weeks ago now. After pulling back the curtains I stopped dead in my tracks. Struck dumb for what seemed several minutes. Motionless, as my brain scrambled to understand what my eyes were seeing. The beauty had truly been revealed. My dancing friends were not yellow daffodils as I had thought. For months I had eagerly awaited the cheery faces of yellow daffodils greeting me every morning. How lovely they would look, a bit of sunshine on a sunless, grey English evening.


Now, I felt foolish, what a waste! The truth could not be avoided, I had not sown daffodil bulbs at all. Despite what I had planned, despite my visions of sunny daffodils while they were still sleeping deep in the ground. No, I had not sown daffodils, but tulips. Deep, red, velvety tulips.

My tulips look gorgeous of course. But, the spiritual application of my mistake was very clear. You will reap what you sow. For all the hopes and dreams you have treasured in your heart. Not one of them will you reap if it is not what you've sown.

As a mom of four children this is painful. I may dream of godly children who will love the Lord. Hardworking sons, gracious daughters, honorable young men and women. But if my sowing habits do not line up with my vision, I will not reap it. Like the beautiful daffodils I dreamed of as I gazed at dull green heads, they were a figment of my imagination, a phantom with no substance to them at all.

I am reminded of what Pastor John Barnett said. 'You will not get to where you want go, unless you are going there now'. His exact words escape me, but like my gardening skills, you will not get daffodils if you sow tulips.