
Dasiphora fruticosa is a shrub in the family Rosaceae, native to the cool temperate to subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere, often growing at high altitudes in mountains.It is a deciduous, much branched flowering shrub growing to 0.1–1 m tall, rarely up to 1.5 m. The species is also occasionally known as Tundra-rose and Widdy.
A desolate trundra.
Chilly winds blowing across the vast expanse of white.
It is cold, very cold. So cold that not even a speck of life flickers in defiance.
A stir, a murmur. A heartbeat.
Under a tiny rocky outcrop, a single flower blooms.
A yellow dot, singing of its presence amidst the threatening howls and icy hail.
Haha, pardon my effort at trying to be somewhat more literary in my writing. What’s this all about you may ask, why talk about a single rose that blooms amidst such harsh conditions?
Such beauty amidst such desolation. Beauty which is magnified by the desolation that surrounds it. But then again, who can appreciate this beauty when itself is the only living thing there? Well, God was there. And God saw the Tundra rose bloom. In fact He made it bloom. And it gave Him great joy.
I take this in reference to our prayer lives. When we pray in secret, it is a time of great intimacy and splendour. It is a time of just being with Him. God and I. No one else. He abides in me as I abide in Him. He see me for who I am, as do I. Something of such beauty, but no one else sees it. Except Him.
Just as our prayers reach the heavens to be heard by our Father, a tiny but beautiful rose blooms amidst all the pain and sorrow of the world. And God sees it, treasures it, and takes joy in it.
For those of us who think prayer is a waste of time, I think we just have to ask ourselves this question. Did the Tundra rose bloom in vain? Or was its beauty appreciated by the one who is always present?
For those of us who find it hard to pray, is it so hard to do so now if we know that we are offering God a thing of utmost beauty?
- I found this old post by me on the LOG blog, and I felt that it needed to be here. I’m quite amazed at how God spoke to me through such a simple image, and I must say it is one of my favourite posts :)