Summer time is slowly coming end. The heyday of many plants is already over. But there is one flower that blooms well into autumn. It’s the sunflower. The bright yellow flowers of the sunflower remind me of the sun. The sun is full of energy and power, without it life on earth would not be possible. Sunlight let us feel well and puts us in a good mood. Nature, the plants reach out for the sun and we humans also need the light and warm of the sun, which we enjoy well into the autumn months.
Looking at the sunflower, we can see how the plants reach out for the light. It towers high and needs a lot of energy to grow like that in such a short time. Without the sun this would not be possible. It is interesting to see that the sunflower always orients itself towards the light. Even when the sky is cloudy, the sunflower seems to know where the sun is. The position of the sun is her compass, which she follows.
God’s love is also like the sun. Without God’s love, power and strength, light and warm there would be no life. Even if we experience dark times when clouds block our vision and block the light, we are allowed to know: God is there even when we don’t see or feel him. God himself is the light, we can read about it in the Bible:
“Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
This light shines on us in Jesus Christ. He came from heaven to light up our world. When we reach out to him, align ourselves with him, our life becomes bright and we go from darkness into light. Jesus is like a compass showing us the direction and way to the glory of God. In this light we can recognize God, God does not remain in the dark and unrecognized, but shows himself through Jesus in human form. The light of Jesus dispels the darkness of sadness. And Jesus also brings light into the darkness of our sin. Sin darkens our lives and separates us from God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, to bring us into the light.
“I came into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me should not remain in darkness” John 12:46
Maybe you also long for this light that drives away all darkness, for the light of the world. Let the power of his love shine through your cloud cover until the sky opens up and new life awakens in you. You can also reach out to God’s light by reading the Bible. His Word is like a compass pointing you in the right direction, as it is written in
Psalm 119:105; “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”