Wild By Design!

As I dove into this idea that I am a wildflower in this world, I spoke to a friend of mine who is a florist. I was asking her how something is classified as a "wildflower." Is it by breed or environment? What makes something officially a "wildflower?"

She laughed and explained that the term is really about the intention of the gardener. I was confused because surely there are specific flowers that are "wild." She started to show me how the term "wildflower" has to do with whether the flower is planted in a haphazard manner or whether it is planted by species and intentionally for a design. Her comment to me was that "people decide what is a wildflower, by the way they plant the seeds." If a flower is planted intentionally in rows, for instance, then it is not wild. When the seeds are mixed together and sown into the soil without a specific placement it is considered wild.

After sitting with this for a minute I asked if she thought that all flowers can be wild? She said sure! And it hit me that by the human definition above, when God spoke the flowers into existence and they just sprung up all types mixed together -- all flowers were wild by design! It wasn't until people decided which ones were prettier or that it looked nicer in rows that humanity began to designate certain flowers as "wild" and certain as domestic. That stuck in my heart because we all know those people we are "too much" for because we just don't meet their qualifications. Then there are those people who we can just be our wild selves, and they join in!

Now I knew I was a wildflower!

For most of my life I have tried so diligently to fit into the neat rows of life. I have tried to cultivate myself to behave and appear the "right" way. But I never really liked being similar to everyone else, nor did I enjoy being surrounded by people who thought and behaved just like me. I loved wearing the wacky outfit and dancing to the beat of my own drum. However, we all learn quickly to hide your "wild" side and assimilate. Then to hear that all flowers were originally "wild" by God's design it started to make complete sense! God created me with a different-ness, a part of me that worked best when surrounded by diversity and without competition for the same resources. We all flourish when we get to shine in our way and it doesn't take away from anyone else's uniqueness.

Wildflowers grow in a community without separation of rows or lines, often in less than cultivated conditions and THRIVE. Bingo!

That's me --- a wildflower by God's design!!!

I love being surrounded by diversity that gives space for everyone to be seen. In communities where we aren't all seeking the same resources and validation but instead live in a symbiotic way that everyone gets what they need simultaneously. This! This is how God designed it!

At TMS we say, "As it is in the physical, so it is in the spiritual."

Sit with that a minute and consider whether you live as a wildflower.

Do you line up in rows, preening yourself to match everyone else?

Or do you grow freely in spaces that allow everyone to reach for the sun?

Are you okay with how God created you to shine, and letting other people shine how God gifted them?

No competition because there is no comparison. What a thought!

Regardless of your reality what is the space you grow best in?

Assimilation? Sharing resources surrounded by diversity?

Are you "Wild by Design?"

You just might be...I am!