It has been surprising to me how often I’ve been thinking about flowers over the past month. Not only is this true because of the recent exhibition, Brunnier in Bloom, at the Brunnier Art Museum, but because of trips back to Missouri as well. Everything was in bloom far before anything in Iowa was even thinking about blooming. (This didn’t exactly help with any homesickness I might have had, to come back to a barren and brown Iowa!) Thankfully and unexpectedly, however, Iowa wasn’t too far behind in the whole blossoming and budding department. It is beautiful here!That is probably the main reason why I appreciate this sculpture titled Tulip so much. It is a beautiful, bright green and yellow, which makes me think of life and happiness, respectively. It stands as a solid reminder and a promise of new life, new beginnings, and that there is such a thing as a warm day in Iowa. More importantly though, it reminds me to take the time to appreciate God’s awesome handiwork. I am purposely learning to enjoy every day the simple yet powerful and beautiful things God has created.
During the Brunnier in Bloom exhibition, I was so impressed by the variety and beauty of the flowers used in each arrangement. Just by taking a walk and looking around campus or the Indian Creek Trial in Nevada, I am just as impressed. There is so much variety, beauty and complexity in nature. I get so excited thinking about how diverse and imaginative God was in the creation of the world around us. Not only is our God awesome in His power and in His love, but also in His creativity! He considered everything when he made every single type of flower (there are thousands and thousands of varieties of flowers!): the parts of it and how they function together, the pollination system, how they interact with other insects and animals, etc. Meditating on that thought alone about how much he adorns and provides for the flowers and all nature, reminds me that He cares for us even more! What’s even more incredible is to realize that the very same Holy Spirit present at creation is living inside of you if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That same creativity lies within each and every one of us! You may think that creativity is useful or necessary for only people like myself who decided it would be fun to paint for a living, but that is simply not true. We all need to learn to tap into that creativity and express it without fear. Often, instead of exercising creativity, we keep repeating the same things over and over again, simply because we are afraid to step out and do something different. It is easy to become so familiar and comfortable with something, that doing anything else seems absolutely terrifying. It is also easy to refuse to try something new because of the fear of failure. God has created us to need diversity and variety. We are designed to require freshness and newness in our lives, just like the change of season from Winter to Spring.
So the next time you walk past the sculpture of this flower (not corn), admire not only the creativity of the artist, but of the Creator as well. Be in awe of not only the simple and bold beauty of this sculpture, but of God’s simple yet powerful handiwork all around you as well. Nature itself testifies of God’s power and divine plan, and Tulip prompts me to be reminded of that and take a look around me! God speaks to everyone through His handiwork, so take the time to take it in and enjoy it!
Celinda Stamy
