Are You a Sunflower?
Author: Beverly Cooley
April 10, 2025
Are You a Sunflower?
“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.” Psalm 150:6
Have you ever questioned what your purpose in life is? Or better yet, "how Lord, can you use me when my life is a mess?" This past year I have asked those questions and more. God’s timing is always perfect and never on our timetable. He allows situations to happen to us in order to test us to see if we will be found faithful during the hard times, to bring glory to His name, and sometimes it has nothing to do with us but rather someone around us. We are just the tools He uses to reach them. One thing I know for sure is that I choose to remain faithful and willing to do whatever is asked of me even if it comes with a high price tag.
I have always been drawn to the sunflower. It is one of my favorite flowers. I was hanging out with my kids a few weeks ago and out in the middle of nowhere, a cornfield to be exact, was this patch of sunflowers. I went and stood in the middle of the patch and started snapping my camera in amazement at what God had orchestrated for me to see and He began to reveal His purpose for me.
Did you know a sunflower is actually a flower head made up of many florets arranged in a spiral pattern? Young sunflowers follow the sun so their orientation changes from east to west during the day. At times they will rotate 180 degrees just to face the sun. The most common uses for the sunflower are its seeds and oil. Some not so well known uses are yellow dye, its oil is used in lubricants and paint as well as some medicinal uses. I did not know this but to some they are an unwanted plant, a weed. A sunflower has only one life to live in a short season. It thrives in the heat of summer as the sun shines on it developing its seeds, strengthening it stalk and developing its roots.
Just as its source of life is the sun my source of life is the Son.
Until the sunflower reaches its potential it pursues the sun allowing the sun to determine its direction. I too daily pursue the Son of God letting Him determine the direction my life will take. The body of Christ is much like a flower head. We have been given special gifts and abilities to be used to build up, encourage and meet the needs of the body so that we may continue to lead others to Christ. When the life of a sunflower is complete its still goes on. Its life may be cut short to be included in a flower arrangement intending to bring a smile to someone in need or it drops its seeds that are planted for the next harvest of sunflowers or even provides sustaining food through its seeds. Every part of the sunflower has a purpose.
The answer to my question of purpose is so simple. My purpose is to be who God designed me to be. The process of design is ever changing and developing as the Master Gardner prunes, waters and nurtures me. It is my “soul” purpose in life to get up each morning praising Him for another opportunity to be used by Him however He sees fit at that moment.
Always staying connected to my source, His Word, waiting for the assignment for that day. Are you willing to be a sunflower?
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