Monday, February 13, 2012

Let's Talk About Ferns!

Ok. I'll talk about ferns. I've always loved them. When I was a little girl, there was a hollow at the base of the mountain behind my house where huge boulders lay as if they had been thrown there. Growing around and between those boulders were large green ferns. It was sort of a magical place. Occasionally my sister and I picked some of the ferns for flower arrangements.

I always loved the outdoors, and I remember when I first learned about the spores on the bottom of fern leaves. Whenever I came to a fern in my rambles in the woods, I would turn over the leaves to assure myself the information I learned in school was true. There is something very reassuring about seeing in life the things you've read in books.

In a similar way, I've enjoyed recently seeing God work in my own life the same things I've read about in the Bible and heard from other believers. Answered prayer, help just when it was needed most: these things show us God's love in tangible ways. Like ferns that remain faithful to the pattern God created for them, God's goodness just keeps showing up in my life.

Several summers ago, I was with a group of teachers in Togo. We attended a baptism deep in a valley among the mountains. First we went up, up, up the mountain to church. Then we walked around and around paths and roads; then we went down, down, down the mountain side to a pool of water. It was exhausting and spectacular! But on the way down the mountain, we passed these enormous ferns taller than me. I kept saying, "Look at these ferns!" But my friends just smiled at me and kept going.

I sit in church and notice the fake ferns in our pots at the front. Someone did a good job making them look real. I'm not sure what kind they are supposed to be, but a quick scan of a plant list will show you that there are many many varieties of fern, and most people don't give them a second thought. But they are a good reminder of the wonder of God's creation and how many beautiful and amazing things we take for granted---things growing around us as well as God's work in us.

The next time you see a fern--a real fern--turn over one of the little leaves and let it remind you of God's creativity in the world and faithfulness in your life and mine.

--Sherry Poff

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