Poppies reaching for the sun

By Elizabeth Prata


I used to vacation in the small village of Lubec, Maine. It is the "nose" on the map of Maine that looks like a silhouette of a dog. It sits across from Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. I mean a stone's throw. See?

The boat is docked in Lubec, USA. The lighthouse is in Canada.
Sunlight is a precious thing in Maine, especially that far north. Lubec is just 5 miles from the 45th parallel, which is the halfway point between the equator and the north pole. Daylight hours in July (when I visited) are 15 hours but in December there are only 8 hours of sunlight.

There is a street facing Canada called Water Street. There is an old cannery, the town library, a hotel, some pubs and cafe's. One place you can stay is called the Betsy Ross B&B. It faces east, toward Campobello Island and has a bank of poppies and other plants growing in front. There is a slight overhang, plus the building is tall. The poppies are aiming, seemingly desperately reaching for the sun as it rises over Campobello and arcs quickly across the sky before leaving the poppies in shadow again. See?

I wish I had a further out view for you. But every flower is parallel to the wooden brace
you see at a nearly 45 degree angle
This isn't a new thought, or an especially creative thought. But I think it is a good thought.

Even though creation is fallen, it is still subject to God. Even the plants 'know' enough to reach for what is good for them. They need and thrive on the sun.

Isaiah 55:12,

For you will go out with joy And be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

Barnes' Notes says,
Here it is an expression of the universal rejoicing which would attend the extension of the kingdom of God on the earth.
The conscienceless creation groans now and will be praising with joy later. Metaphorically? Actually? The Bible doesn't explain. Yet, we know that God has a relationship with creation. Maybe it's a general call to praise, or perhaps the trees will clap and the mountains will shout.

For all our human wisdom and machinations and progress, we Christians, do we reach for what is good for us? The Son? With our superior relationship with Jesus to the creation and even to the angels, do we reach? Bask? Long for the Son?


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