Flowers

“Show Me Your Ridiculousness”

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(Enneagram 1 ALERT: Photo may cause hives)

The last time I quick-trimmed the hedge by the drive, it was pretty near impossible to not do the same to my neighbor’s.

The main thing that kept me from intruding was the ridiculousness of the pink bloom.

Guess where my eye goes every time I drive down the cul-de-sac.

Which is always the effect of ridiculousness-you can’t seem to stop looking, maybe because of the sheer awe.

The word ridiculous took on a new meaning for me while listening to a podcast episode last weekend-the same day of the quick-trimming. It wasn’t a direct quote, but the implication by one of the guests was this: “God is ridiculous.”

It may sound like rejection, but that’s not even close to how they used that adjective. The extreme opposite.

Modern slang of ridiculous means overwhelmingly amazing. Like Usain Bolt’s Olympic breakout in 2008 in Beijing. Or the view of the mountain backdrop when I walked out from dinner in April in Maui. Or my grand niece’s reaction every time she eats ice cream.

It’s ridiculous to me that this bush has only two blooms…and one of them belongs to this branch…and it’s lusciously pink…and it’s not resting on the pavement. To be honest, and that no one has trimmed it.

It’s a small example, one of infinite number, of God’s ridiculousness.

  • His ridiculous care for all the creatures (beetles, squirrels, bunnies, geckos) I pass during my early morning runs.
  • His ridiculous patience for all the humans he passes…all at once…at all times…without end.
  • His ridiculous attention to meeting needs before they are even realized.
  • His ridiculous forgiveness to all who misrepresent his image he copied to create them.
  • His ridiculous provision for peace at a table set for two in the middle of a battlefield.

Something may be hindering your ability to see it. My instinct is to encourage you to pray about it. That might be too much to ask. If that’s where you find yourself, here’s a prayer you might voice.

God, right now I’m struggling to appreciate you and being amazed by you. Right now, I could use your power, your rest, your peace, your acceptance, your embrace. Truthfully, I’m not really sure what I need. Maybe what I need most is for you to show me something so ridiculous that can only be explained that you provided it. Will you do that for me?

Amaze me. Overwhelm me. Show me your ridiculousness.

If You Were a Flower Arrangement…

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Today I had a terrific call with a coaching client. As they shared their reflections on the year, an interesting symbol came to my mind. It was somewhat fresh in my mind because I had just received it in a text this morning.

This image seemed appropriate to share because of symbolism we had used in the coaching work when we first began. The imagery was based on the petals of a flower. The exercise was to determine how many petals make up the different elements of one’s life and to create an image based on the importance of those elements – in essence, use the image of a flower to put your life in perspective.

That imagery for this client set the tone for eight months of work. Listening to them describe how they see themselves now and where they are on their journey, this idea came to mind. What if the exercise where expanding from the image of one flower to a bouquet of flowers?

So I pulled up this image to screen share:

This was an arrangement my mother received just this morning. After I pulled it up, I simply challenged my client to consider this: “How would a flower bouquet of your life eight months ago compare to one today?” As a person of vision and words, that spoke to them.

If that speaks to you, go ahead. Get out a pad. Write, draw, or both. Take an inventory. How would your life look as a flower arrangement? If you’d like it to look different, what are some things to address as you enter 2022? Pick one flower and start beautifying your bouquet.

Here’s to a nicer bouquet!