FROGS AND FLOWERS

This morning I went for a ride on my bicycle. After this I walked for a little while. As usual there are things on the road where I walk. This time of year (April), there are usually some flower petals and occasionally a complete flower from the poplar trees. They are colorful! The flowers are small compared to the massive size and height of the poplar tree.   

As I walked on, I saw something else on the road—a dead frog! It was positioned as though it was ready to jump, but it wasn’t going anywhere on its own. A red ant came and crawled on the frog and it did not react at all. 

I saw the flower and the frog—both of them were dead. Even though the flower looked pretty, it would soon be dead, since it was detached from the tree. My reaction to them was very different. I delighted in the beauty of the flower but felt disgusted by the dead frog. Both are creations of God. The Bible says that God knows when the sparrow falls, so He knew about this little frog. (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

Anyway, we are so prone to react to things and people because of the way they look. (I Sam. 16:7b NLT) We judge a person or an entire race or culture by their looks. But just as God created the flower and the frog, every person is a creation of God, created in His image.

To take this picture, I picked up the flower and took it to where the frog was. I did not want to touch the frog! Again, we sometimes look at people as “untouchables”, but everyone needs the power of human touch, whether a simple pat or a bear hug!

So . . . think about your own reactions to the world around you. Maybe you can learn to see people with the eyes of Jesus; and, who knows, maybe you can give someone a hug today!