Indestructible, Bulletproof, Invincible: Chicory!

Today, I went out to survey the ongoing street work that has been happening in our neck of the woods, since spring. But instead of piles of sand, deep holes in the ground and broken pipes, my eyes were drawn to the masses of bright blue flowers enjoying the morning air!

I did a little yard work, but I kept looking back at that color. Chicory is a purplish color when the bud first opens in the morning, and then turns the typical chicory blue until it fades to near white by sunset.

The flower only lives one day, and closes at night, never to reopen.

I remember chicory from my days of mowing lawn when I was a kid. A couple of days after I got the 2.5 acre lawn mowed (with a push mower!), the chicory was tall once again, and waving in the wind. Even during times of drought, the chicory seemed unaffected, putting out new growth while the lawn stalled.

Later I discovered the joys of chicory “coffee.” It is made from roasting and grinding the roots of the chicory, and I add a healthy bit of heavy cream to mine (but no sugar). It goes together with powdered sugar donuts (like a wink and a smile)! In fact, the famous beignet donuts in New Orleans are usually enjoyed with a strong cup of chicory coffee nearby.

Chicory is related to dandelions, and have similar-looking leaves near the base of the plant. Dandelions, of course, also make wonderful “coffee” using the roots. Both have agents that cleanse the blood and liver, and chicory is an effective parasite cleanser, too. All parts of both plants are edible.

I’m not a complete stranger to flower anatomy, but I wasn’t sure what was going on. I looked at a few more flowers and saw a difference between them. So I got curious and looked it up.

The stigma tops the “style,” which is the neck that leads to the ovary of the flower. (What develops in the ovary is the seed.) The stigma prefers being cross-pollinated by a passing insect, but if that doesn’t happen, the “y” will curl farther down to use the pollen below. (I learned this from Britannica.com, article “Anther.”)

As I learned all these things, I understood metaphors for spiritual things. It happens when I am outside, appreciating God’s creation.

Grow, Baby, Grow!

I saw the flowers growing at the edge of the digging, and it made me think of God’s initial command to be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:11-12)

We were commanded to be fruitful and multiply, too. But how many of us men and women do that today? It’s almost as if child-bearing is of last consideration once every other spot on our life bingo card has been filled up. But it is of utmost importance to God. He made us to grow, to reproduce and to fulfill the plan he made for our lives long ago. (Psalm 139:16; Ephesians 2:10)

Not only do we rebelliously put off child-bearing, but we also put off our important work, like writing songs, creating stories, and making beautiful art or useful things. I don’t know how many people I have met who are really woodworkers, or weavers, or sculptors or writers, but they don’t believe that they can make a living at it, so they slide into the mold waiting for them. Instead of fulfilling their purpose, which was created by God just for them, they process claims, or work as telemarketer, etc.

On Sunday, I met a former acquaintance. She spoke to me about her new direction: She had been doing the things she thought she SHOULD do, but the Spirit said to her, “Why are you doing all of the things that someone else could do, but are ignoring the thing that ONLY you can do?”

That word stabbed my heart like a dagger! For I use much of my time doing things that are important, that are my responsibility, but God has called me to something else, and I am not spending enough time doing that. I realized that when I do what man thinks I should do instead of what God has called me to do, I am in rebellion against God!

She went on to tell me how she obeyed God, and began to write and promote her own original songs. And when she obeyed, He began opening doors for her. Now, she is part of a band, and the concert she was performing that night featured eight of her original compositions! It’s not a fluke or luck or her being savvy: God rewards us for obedience. (Psalm 19:11)

During Times of Drought, Dig Deep!

Not only that, but God rewards us for asking big questions, seeking answers, and knocking on every door that we want opened.

“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened unto you. For whoever asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8 & Luke 11:9-10)

Do you hold a big dream in your heart? Is it a dream so huge it takes your breath away to think it might come true? Are you a little bit afraid that it might come true?

Don’t be afraid. Your dreams are your own, and no one can take away what God has given you. When you think back, did you wish you could fulfill that dream, and live a life doing what you love?

That dream was yours, wasn’t it? What happened to it? Did you protect, cherish and nurture it? Sometimes our dreams are delayed, but don’t worry: When God gives you something, it is yours.

It’s scary to step out of what’s expected, but look at the rewards! The chicory flower only lives for one day. It blooms on the edge of a pit that can cave in at any time. It thrives on risk, and it is blessed. It doesn’t expect things to last forever. The chicory uses resources here right now and produces something. And just look at the masses of blue flowers along a country road in the summer!

It’s amazing how fast life zips by; we get into a routine and time just goes. You may feel that it’s too late to start; but God put our good dreams into us, and He will help us when we obey Him. It’s never too late to obey.

I used to think that “obedience” meant “doing things I don’t want to do.” But I have begun to realize that as my heart lines up with God’s heart, my desires become more and more like His. When I take my grubby hands off the steering wheel and let Him drive, God takes me to the things I really want to do; after all, He has made them expressly for me!

Are you worried, tired, and stressed? God gives us His peace (Philippians 4:6-9) and reminds us to believe Him so we can rest (Hebrews 4:11). Are you sad? God fills our hearts with joy (Nehemiah 8:10) and tells us to practice being joyful (Philippians 4:4)! He gives us the keys to wisdom when we ask Him (James 1:5), so that we avoid the pain and death caused by sin.

“Obey Me so you can rest, rejoice, and rise above,” God says. “Do the thing I have put in your heart to do, the thing that gives you joy, because you were made to do it!” Is it really that hard to obey God?

Just as the chicory lay across my palm, like a timeline, God sees our lives that way, and we are in His hands. He sees our past, and He knows the future He has designed for us. That future is full of promise, and of unexplored things, where lots of adventure awaits! For we are indestructible, bullet-proof, invincible when we are in God’s hands. All we have to worry about is obeying Him.

“ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

Indestructible, Bulletproof, Invincible: Don’t Be Afraid!

We are told over and over again, “Fear Not!” Enjoy a big sigh of relief, because we are provided for and the whole thing is paid for, finished and complete. And while it’s not over-over (we are still living on this earth, waiting for Jesus to return, and still living in these corrupted bodies), God has given us precious promises to hold onto, so we can be reminded of and encouraged in the truth.

You might think, as I did once, “Is that all I get, a promise? Is that all I can hold onto?” For when a man promises something, it’s a “piecrust promise,” easily made and easily broken. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” But that is man’s wisdom.

God cannot lie. Remember that God made this earth with the words of His mouth. Feel the solid matter around you: It exists because God spoke it into being and holds it in existence. If you trust the chair you are sitting in “because it’s real,” consider that your belief in the chair is underwritten by the Word of God. It exists, like the rest of the matter of the earth, because He commanded it to exist. And it will continue as long as He wills.

And so we wait, like the slaves in Texas waited for “Juneteenth.” We are free, but not completely liberated yet. Our local taskmasters have not received justice; but rest assured, they will. God waits because of His mercy; some poor souls still need rescue. (Pray for them!) God will decide when enough is enough.

And in the meantime, don’t worry; look toward heaven and trust God! (Protect your heart.) Chicory exists because God spoke it into being; and it might know it. But He formed us in His image, with His hands. We are worth a LOT more than chicory. So it’s OK to think like chicory, but don’t forget who you are. Don’t forget Whose you are.

“I run along the path of your commands, for you enable me to do so.” (Psalm 119:32 NET)

“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” (Psalm 37:3-5)

When you see that perky little blue flower by the road, remember that he only has one day to fulfill his purpose. Life is short for us, too, so don’t let anything make you stumble, slow you down, or God forbid, stop you! Have an adventurous, fruitful day in the Lord’s care, my friends!