Lessons from a Field of Sunflowers

We recently had the delight of joining our little granddaughter to celebrate her 5^th birthday at the Sunflower Stroll.  This was an area of local farmland that has been turned over to growing many thousands of beautiful sunflowers.  Not only that, but in the midst of this amazing area they had created curving pathways full of fun photo opportunities with playful surprise areas around every corner.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and it was a real joy!

We really had great fun, but I knew it was more than that…I decided to try to understand why sunflowers are so special and loved.  Most people know that sunflowers are famous for following the sun but apparently, they only do that when they are young. They literally move throughout the day, turning from east to west to catch the best light.  How clever are they! 

The light is so good for them, nourishing and empowering them to grow.  This is the same for us.  Right at the beginning, as soon as God had created the world, He created the light because without light nothing grows.   When we dwell and walk in the light, there is nothing hidden or swept under the carpet, we can then grow strong and healthy.  1 John 1:5 says, “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”  Then verse 7 tells us, “If we walk in the light, as he (Jesus) is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.”  When we come to Jesus, we turn to the son.  Then His light fills us and searches our heart, enabling us to see anything in our lives from our past that needs to be dealt with.  How gracious is God?

However, I didn’t know that when the sunflowers are mature, they don’t move towards the sun anymore.  They remain facing east because that way they attract the most bees and other pollinators.  They love the sunflowers because the centre of each one is actually made of between 500 and 3,000 tiny flowers, called florets.  Each one is packed full of nectar, making them a great treat for the bees, butterflies and insects. These pollinators are vital because they help plants reproduce by moving pollen from one plant to another. Incredibly these little pollinators make it possible for over 180,000 plant species and 35% of our global food crops to grow, supplying one out of every three bites of food we eat while supporting healthy, stable ecosystems.  Wow God’s creation is so interdependent and cleverly woven together to benefit the whole.

These pollinators remind me of Deborah whose story is found in 1 Kings 4.  She was a Prophet and her name means Bee.  Deborah was used by God to bring God’s word, and to come alongside Barak to empower him to mobilise the army of Israel.  It’s an incredible story of God’s people being enabled by God’s word, just like the pollen is spread by the insects to bring a mighty harvest.

Depending on the size of the flower head, the tiny sunflowers florets then produce up to 3000 seeds.  Each seed is packed full of goodness, they can be eaten raw, roasted, or pressed into sunflower butter or oil which can be used in cooking. They are full of vitamin E, magnesium, and healthy fats.  The whole sunflower plant itself can be eaten, including the leaves, stalks, and roots.  The oil and pigments can also be used for various cosmetic applications such as dyes, and remarkably the stalk can be used in construction.  Wow what an amazing plant!!

Our lives are like those sunflower heads.  Our personal story (no matter how hard it has been), as it is given to Jesus, it becomes seed in God’s hand.  Every time we overcome and walk through difficulties into victory, we have seeds of faith and hope to sow into other people’s lives.  There is a limitless supply of seed that God gives us to sow, and the best seed comes from our time spent with Jesus.  Jeremiah 31:3 expresses God’s desire to spend time with us, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

There is more…Sunflowers come in many shapes, sizes and colours, growing anywhere between 1 foot to over 15 feet tall.  Each one is beautiful and each one is unique.  The splendour of the thousands of gorgeous sunflowers we saw was that as they were packed tightly together, they protected each other from the wind and the storms.  It was only the ones on the very edge that showed any signs of damage.  This reminds me so much about the power of unity as families stand together, or God’s people stand together.  Standing together in good times and standing together in the middle of the storms to protect one another.  But better than that is knowing that God stands with us and protects us.

2 Timothy 4:17 says, "The Lord stood at my side and gave me strength".   Another important verse is found in Deuteronomy 31:8: "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you."  When I first encountered God, this was the verse He spoke to me.   He said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  The good news is He never has!!! But that is a huge story, which is why I have written three books - Extravagant Fire, Extravagant Adventures and Extravagant Breakthroughs.  God has given us seed, let’s not waste it.

What surprised me more than anything else was discovering that sunflowers change the atmosphere around them.  They do this by absorbing toxins, heavy metals and even radiation from soil, helping to clean up after nuclear disasters. This was true after the nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, when scientists planted millions of sunflowers to help the land recover. Similarly, they’ve also been planted in areas with high concentrations of lead.  Did you know that?

As Christians we are made to be God’s Ambassadors and as such agents of transformation, just like those sunflowers.  Now that revelation is for another blog!

These are just some of the lessons from a Field of Sunflowers.  I am sure you will never look at a sunflower quite the same way again…