Blossoming Crowea Reflections
The Crowea blossoms, with its 5 bright, deep, rich, pinkish petals, flowering most profusely in late autumn and winter. It grows well in rockeries and makes a great hedge or border. Here are some of my spiritual reflections of what we can learn from the Crowea plant.
THE CROWEA BRINGS BEAUTY AND VIBRANT COLOUR into the cold, dark season of winter and grows well in between boulders and in rockeries. As the beautiful star-shaped pink blossoms emerge in late autumn and winter, they shine and bring beauty and light into the darkness. So too can we. Although the world around us often seems bleak at times, we can bring the light of Christ and shine for Jesus as we blossom to become more like Him.
In fact, my greatest times of spiritual growth have actually been during the darkest and most challenging times of my life. God has a way of lovingly bringing us to the end of ourselves, so that we can look to Him and discover the hidden treasures that we’ve been looking for in all the wrong places and dead ends of life. The colour pink is often said to represent a right relationship with God. In Him, we learn to rely on all that He is, rather that running to the things around us that we think we need in His place. The stripping away of what’s no longer needed can be painful, but it allows us to be free of the things that are keeping us from fully knowing God and experiencing a deeper, richer relationship with him, soaking in His well watered, fertile soil, so to speak. When we find ourselves in amongst the boulders, blockages, challenges, distractions and other things that get in the way of our relationship with God, may we reach deep within, to find Christ, become more aware of His presence and grow our roots deep into His love (Eph 3).
How is God using you to bring light, life, colour and beauty into your space today?
THE FRAGRANCE AND OILS OF THE CROWEA BRING CALMNESS AND PEACE. They have been diffused and used to help ease distress, bring a sense of calm, peace and relaxation by bringing clarity to feelings and supporting people to feel more centred.
We too, all carry with us a certain fragrance or aroma. I wonder what effect we are having on the people around us. What sense do they get when we enter the room. Do we give off a sense of peace and calm, or do we bring stress and anxiety?
What fragrance are we giving off? What effect do we have on those around us?
THE 5 PETALS OF THE CROWEA REMIND US TO PRACTICE THE ‘5 Steps to Peace’ that we learnt about in the last Emotional Reset Challenge.
As seen in the image, these are ~ Thanksgiving ~ Praise ~ Worship ~ Presence ~ Connection ~
As we continue to practice these 5 steps to peace, we too can blossom and bring beauty and fragrance into our spaces, even in the ‘winter’ seasons or moments of our lives when it seems cold and dark. Jesus, the prince of peace, lives within us, as Believers, and when we allow Him to live through us we can operate from a place of peace. Interestingly, the number 5 in the Bible often represents authority, government, RULE and dominion. The Bible tells us to let the peace of Christ RULE in our hearts. May these 5 beautiful petals remind us to walk and live a surrendered life of worship, in His presence and peace. And when our peace is disrupted, may it be a trigger to remind us to turn back to God and let Him rule and have His way.
Are you letting the peace of God rule in your heart today?
THE CROWEA IS SAID TO REPRESENT CREATIVE GROWTH. It makes a great shrub or hedge due to its dense growth. When we’re planted in good soil, we too can grow into the fullness of Christ, blossom and come to life in our true unique design. When our roots are well established in Christ’s love and peace, we are able to create and bring about beauty and change in our homes, communities, churches and realms of influence. When we feed upon the richness of the Scriptures and are filled with God’s Spirit, we become fully alive and blossom into our full potential. As we step into more of who we were created to be, we flow more with ease rather than striving and struggling and find more joy in our service and our relationships. We can enjoy rest and a place of belonging and purpose.
What will growth, creativity and change look like for you this week?
THE PROPOGATION OF THE CROWEA is done best by cuttings being planted directly into fertile soil, where it takes root and begins it’s own journey of growing to maturity. How are we multiplying, sending out and growing God’s Kingdom? What about our youth? How are we training, where are we sending and planting our youth? May we all be preparing good soil, for our youth to be replanted and grow to maturity and full bloom, displaying all the beauty that they were created to bring into their realms of influence. God is using our next generation to bring about His plans as they go into the world and discover the mission for which He has been preparing them for, and the place to be planted. May we encourage our youth to grow their roots where God calls them and make a difference in their own gardens.
Where has God planted you? How are you making a difference there?
No matter where you are or what it is you’re called to do in this season, the most important thing we can do is to sit in God’s presence, feed upon Him and His Word, and come to life in Him. Only then can we bring His life, and light into the darkness, and bring beauty and colour midst the hard rocky places.
What about the Crowea do you resonate with?
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Blossoming, In Christ,
Wendy Ventura