Strong & Significant Lilies of the Field

“Consider the lilies of the field…” (Matthew 6:28). What were these lilies? Day lilies? Lilies of the valley? Gardeners and botanists studying Bible lands often suggest the ubiquitous springtime anemone poppy as the best indigenous candidate for Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) reference. They carpet fields in Israel, even if a trampling event has occurred by trucks, carts or livestock, one or two are sure to pop up between rocks. Even as a patch of poppies, each one stands strong and significant in its own right. During pedestrian eras, no doubt many would be inadvertently flattened. Have you ever felt crushed or forsaken, tossed aside? Jesus tells us: He. cares. for. you. You are more important than field flowers. You have the potential of offering so much more and created to be strong and significant. Have you been trampled by life? You may be “…persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed…” (2 Corinthians 4:9). The beautiful anemone declares: He. cares. for. you.