The socks on the bottom of my gym bag that have yet to find their way into the wash even after a week.  Fish that someone forgot to put in the fridge after getting home from the store, and then stays out for way too long.  These are pretty foul smelling things.  But I bet if I took that old fish, and wrapped it in those gym bag socks, and put it up against a budding Bradford Pear Tree, I’m not sure which would smell worse.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Bradford Pear Trees.  I

love them because they signify the beginning of spring.  I love them because they bring the first signs of color to the landscape.  The brilliant white that comes out against the colorless winter that still hangs on.  But the smell.  That smell is something else.

There are those who would find a negative lesson there.  “How much are we like the Bradford Pear,” they would say.  “We worry so much about our outward appearance and give little to no attention to the fact that what is inside of us can often stink.”  But I don’t think that is the best lesson of the Bradford Pear.

We live in a world and in a society that is so self conscious.  “Don’t ever let them see you sweat.”   That seems to be the motto of the day.  “Only let them see your good side.”  “Make sure to be careful what people see from you, lest they get the wrong idea.”  “We can’t have the neighbors thinking that, now can we.”

Maybe the lesson of the Bradford Pear could be this; even if you have a flaw, especially one that society doesn’t care for or makes fun of, you can still be who you are, and still be what you were created to be, especially if what you were created to be is a sign of the good life that is to come.  Maybe the Bradford Pear shows how we can be who we are, warts (or smells) and all, without fear, knowing that we live planted firmly within the good creation by the loving Creator.  Maybe the Bradford Pear shows that even the most beautiful thing, like all things, isn’t completely perfect, and wasn’t meant to be.  Maybe the Bradford Pear shows how it can give the world something beautiful, even though it has this flaw.

I love spring because that means barbeques are coming.  I get to warm up my grill, and cook some good burgers.  We get to clean off the porch, and prepare for relaxing meals outside on a regular basis.  Playing in the backyard is one of my favorite things, as is watching Kayla, and one day Murphy, running around chasing butterflies and lightning bugs.  Even amidst the smell of Bradford Pear, I know that May is coming, and honeysuckle will be out, and I will drive with my windows down and take in the smell that will take me back to being nine years old.  The Bradford Pear, with its smell, is for me the beginning of spring.  Maybe we can take some lessons from the Bradford Pear.

Could we, with all of our flaws, still be a sign of the kingdom of God?  Could we, warts and all, live without fear knowing that we are planted firmly within the good creation by the loving Creator?  Could we

find beauty in ourselves, even in, no, especially in, our imperfection?  Can we give the world something beautiful, even though we have flaws?

I sure hope so.  May you all,

 

Be Well,

 

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