Be a Wildflower for God

I want to tell you about a time I was feeling inadequate.

Because maybe sometimes you feel like you’re not ________ enough. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. Not wealthy enough. Not popular enough. Not accomplishing enough. Not holy enough. You and I may fill in the blank differently, but we all want to be enough.

I Was Crying Out to God
It was a spring day two years ago that I was struggling with feeling that I was not accomplishing enough. I was on a spiritual retreat at the Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, CA. I had set aside a day to be with Jesus, to walk and talk and sit and pray with Him.

Being quiet and alone with God was bringing up my inner distress. (That’s what happens when we slow down and get still to pray, which is why we tend to stay busy!) So I was crying out to God about feeling discouraged with the struggles I was having and my unfulfilled desires and dreams for serving Him.

This was a day of prayer that I needed! I was desperate to hear God’s voice. The important point here is that I realized that I was desperate to hear God’s voice. The truth of the matter is that you and I are always desperate to hear God’s voice, but most of the time we don’t think we are or we forget.

God’s Words are Blossoming

It is only because of the living Word of God – the holy words revealed in the Bible; the voice that is continually speaking in thoughts, images, and impressions; the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ – that we can continue to “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

God creates and sustains all life through His words. God’s communications are not just true, they are real; they are reality. God’s voice to us is like the manna that fell from heaven in the desert wilderness and the Israelites ate it and lived off of it for forty years.

So I was walking and I was pouring out my heart to Jesus. And He began showing me what a glorious scene He had created for me to be in with Him: the sun was shining on us, the birds were singing over us, and we were walking along a path that cut through a valley filled with wildflowers.

I felt impressed to stop and really look at all the wildflowers in front of me. There were so many! They were so colorful! And they were just there because God wanted them there. No person had planted them. God sent breezes and birds to scatter seeds and he sent rain and sun and grew the flowers. Thousands of people drove by this valley every day just a block or two from where I was standing and yet very few of them ever walked over to appreciate these flowers.

God Speaks!

Then God showed me a single wildflower surrounded by thousands of other flowers. I sensed Him whisper to my heart words that spoke His life to me and renewed my soul. I believe his words are for you too…
Be like that flower before Me. See how beautiful it is? See how happy it is? And yet it is lost in a sea of color and fragrance.

No one has ever laid eyes on that flower alone – those who stand where you are might see the whole field of wildflowers, but not this particular one. You say that this flower does not stand out, that it’s not special. But I appreciate this flower! It is beautiful to Me! And it is joining with all the other flowers in this valley to communicate My goodness and love to passersby.

I often thank God for that wildflower. I remind myself to bloom where I am planted for God – even if no one else seems to notice. And I hold my head high and smile!

Let’s Pray to Be God’s Wildflower!

I found that wildflower in Psalm 103 and it led me to write a special little prayer poem called, “God’s Wildflower.” May it come true for you too!

Additional Soul Transformation Resources

“Pray a Psalm in its Nature Setting.” This is a God-inspired way to meditate on Scripture. And it makes for a great Quiet Time or spiritual retreat!

Do you feel inadequate? Here’s more help: “A New Name from God will Free you of Shame.”

Sign up for Bill’s free Twitter or Facebook (1-2 abiding prayer phrases per day).

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. is a Psychologist specializing in “Christian Soul Care” since 1986.  Bill and his wife Kristi (a Marriage and Family Therapist) have a donor-supported ministry to pastors and leaders called Soul Shepherding.  In counseling, spiritual mentoring, seminars, and retreats Bill and Kristi help people to connect deeply with Christ in ways that facilitate soul transformation. At Bill and Kristi’s webstie, SoulShepherding.org, you will find articles, prayers, and pictures to nourish your soul in God. 

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. ~ Soul Shepherding, 4000 Barranca Pkwy, Suite 250, Irvine, CA 92604 ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org/ ~ 949.262.3699 ~ or go to the Contact page on the Soul Shepherding website.

William Gaultiere, Ph.D. & Kristi Gaultiere, Psy.D. ~ http://www.soulshepherding.org