I remember being about five years old when I first discovered my love for flowers. I would wander into our backyard, captivated by the bursts of color that painted the grass, tiny wildflowers of every shade, shape, and size. I’d gather them in my small hands, carefully counting each kind and proudly showing my mother my “collection.”
Both of my grandmothers were gardeners, too. Their yards were alive with hibiscuses, ginger lilies, and blooms that swayed gently in the breeze. Oh, how I couldn’t wait to explore their gardens! The fragrance, the colors, the beauty, all of it stirred something deep inside me. Each new flower I discovered sparked awe and wonder in my heart. I loved to draw them, study them, and even observe the butterflies that danced among them. Nature was my quiet joy and my way of discovering God’s artistry at a tender age in the simplest things.
The Cares of Life
But as time passed, that innocent wonder began to fade. I grew up, and life became busy with education, responsibilities, career, finances, family. The things that once made my heart sing were pushed aside by the “grown-up” world.
One evening in early 2020, while commuting home from work, weary and worn from the demands of life, I looked out the window and noticed some beautiful yellow flowers in a stranger’s yard. But this time, something was different. I didn’t feel that familiar spark. The joy I once had was gone.
Quietly, I whispered to the Lord,
“When I look at those flowers, it doesn’t stir my heart like it used to. What happened to me, Lord? Have I lost it? Please... stir my heart again.”
That was my prayer, a simple, honest cry for restoration.
The Lord’s Gentle Reminder
Fast forward to May 2022. One morning, as I gazed out my window, I noticed how tall the grass had grown in the backyard. But as I looked closer, I saw something hidden among the blades. They were tiny wildflowers of many kinds. Some were so small you could easily overlook them. Others might have been considered “weeds,” unworthy of attention. Yet together, they painted the ground with color.
Curious, I decided to go outside. With scissors in hand, I began collecting each flower, one by one, placing them gently on a Styrofoam plate. As I did, something stirred within me, and it was the same feeling I had as a child. That forgotten joy, that quiet awe, it suddenly all came rushing back.
It was as if the Lord whispered,
“See? I never stopped placing beauty before you. You just stopped noticing.”
The Lesson of the Flowers
That moment reminded me how easily the cares of life can crowd out the things that once brought us joy, and even more deeply, how quietly we can drift from our first love, the Lord Himself. Maybe you have felt it too. You keep going through the motions, praying, serving, showing up, yet your heart feels distant, tired, and unmoved. The passion you once had when you first encountered Jesus now feels like a faint memory.
But He has not changed. His love for you is still as fresh and vibrant as it was the very first time you felt it. The Lord is always inviting us back, calling us to return, to rekindle that love, and to rediscover the wonder of His presence. He gently reminds us that ministry should never replace intimacy, and that the busyness of life must never silence the quiet joy of simply being with Him.
So pause for a moment, and allow the Lord to awaken your heart again. Ask Him to rekindle the fire within you, and He will. The same God who paints beauty into forgotten corners of a backyard is able to breathe life into the forgotten places of your soul.
Jesus promised, “Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you” Matthew 7:7. Do not abandon your first love. Return to it, and you will discover that He never left you at all.
Author: Kimberly A.S. Williams