Petunias

I got up yesterday at 4:30 to have breakfast with a friend at HyVee and later I went out golfing with him. But, before leaving I was reading my morning devotions and when focusing my mind on what I had just read, I looked out on the deck and noticed the petunias swaying in the wind. Their gentle frailness seemed to protest each time the wind chose to blow them back and forth, but they had to relinquish to the stronger force. This made me think of the other evening when I was talking to Will about the wind. We looked at the tall cottonwoods swaying in the strong breeze on the hills above us. I said to Will that it looked like the wind was caressing the trees, giving them a hug by gently rocking them back and forth. 
  Now this morning when looking once again at the petunias, I noticed something very unique. In the middle of each flower was a perfect five point star.  The strange thing about this was that when walking up close to the petunias, I could not see this unique phenomena, that is the stars in each flower. All these years I never noticed the stars in these beautiful plants. I began to think of how God gives us new eyes to see things differently as well.  
I have found myself struggling at times to get through difficult circumstances, but during those challenging times when asking God to help me, he has always been faithful to show me how "HE" looks upon what is happening to me. Just like when I looked at the petunias up close, I could not see the stars within them.  We sometimes are too close to what is happening to see the outcome of the problem we are facing. God though gives us a new vision to see his will through difficult circumstances, if we choose to seek his guidance.  It seems that the hardest time to relinquish the reigns is when we are struggling the most.  I recall onetime when given training in rescuing drowning swimmers who were panicking, we were told to wait at times until the swimmer stops thrashing around and then retrieve him.  I thought that was awfully strange to wait, he might drown.  The instructor at that point seemed to be reading my mind, he then responded, "If you do not wait for him to give up, he will pull you both down at the same time." At times we are in the same situation in life, we are panicking and can't be saved until we stop trying and wait for God to help us.  Like the rescuer in the water, he might have said, " if you would have stopped struggling so, I could have gotten to you sooner.  We at times are so much like our drowning swimmer, we need help desperately, but because we are struggling so hard, we fail to see that there is help near by.  
Scriptures tells us that Jesus stands at the door and knocks and he waits patiently for us to answer his call.  Have you ever noticed the picture of Jesus standing at the door knocking?  If you look close, you will see that there is no outside door handle.  The handle is only on the inside.  The picture portrays a patient father who waits for us to answer his call to come in and who wants to be apart of our individual lives and circumstances.  In revelation 3:20 it says, "Here I am!  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."  Are you struggling today with a problem that is overwhelming?  He stands at the door of our heart and waits patently to help, we only need to stop struggling and give it to him, then he will be free to help us. 
Augie