God & Christmas Cactuses

• God put the pink in the Christmas cactus bloom
• God made the baby to bubble up with full bodied laughter
• God formed the eyes to plead, to brighten, to express sorrow, joy, concern, consternation, care
• God shaped hands to pick-up, let go, climb, sculpt, strum and tap a tune, hold and link with another, to touch
• God fashioned feet for transport, support, standing, moving, planting
• The nose God made, as a detector of deliciousness, of aromatics, and as a tell-tale detector of disgusting

The senses are of God - God outlines and fills in, in living colour, in mild and strong scents, in subtle tunes and loud tones and visa versa; in soft and cuddly, rock hard and impenetrable, in sweet and sour, sugary and savoury.

Over night, snow has taken its white place, poised and balanced in layers, on tree branches. In my home, a Christmas cactus sits silently, replete with glorious buds, that cheerfully threaten to bloom bright pink at any moment. The plant has a way of growing up and out and long and green and then there are these tiny outcroppings that promise a display of spectacular for the eyes. How does it grow, dear reader? I do not mean to ask you to explain to me the mechanisms of its growth - even if you took the time to explain the particulars, you would not come close to explaining how the plant knows what to do, without a brain, without a soul, without a thought or conscience; and yet, intelligence in evident manifestly in the Christmas cactus. You and I can not make the cactus do what it does, when it does it; you and I cannot stop them either, unless of course, we remove them from soil, deny them water, and light...

Pink blooms

Baby laughter

Eyes that speak

Ears that see

Hands that make and break

Feet that go and stay

Tongues that taste 

Tongues that wag

Tongues that heal

Tongues that undo

Can you see me in the image next to this paragraph? I can be counted three times, four, if you include the tiny image of me in the picture on the wall. Can you see the snow sitting pretty on the tree just outside my window? There is the picture of the tree, the reflection of the tree in the glass door, and then, there is the real tree. Semblance and substance; images and intricate actually existing material. God does not draw stick figures in black and white that haven't any matter or fabric to stuff them, outline them, or fill them in. God created with genius, and we have been placed to discover, and then to shout our pleasure in praise, for all he has made, that is good, very very good!

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known (1 Corinthians 13:12)

If you and I (eye) are catching glimpses of perfection in God's creation while we look, hear, taste, sniff, touch, sense, then imagine the perfection of heaven. Heaven bathed in full and constant Son light. Heaven brightly lit with purity, the saints clothed in Christ's righteousness. Being in the presence of the Almighty forever and ever more, is a heavenly image and thought, is it not, dear reader? I rely heavily on my sense of sight, but I ask you, What is heaven like to you, when you consider it? The Bible describes heaven, and perhaps you would like to go there and have a look into the realm solo. 

Perhaps you would like to go there...

While we are here, we have an offering from God that must not be refused. With our sense abilities, we can savour what he hath made for our pleasure; in return, we can praise and glorify the Creator in thanksgiving for every good and perfect gift from the Father of lights. 

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17)

Dear reader: The Christmas cactus does not vary in its performance of growth and blooming, because it was designed to behave a certain way - here I personify the plant by using the word behave, which is attributable to humans, and yet, the cactus surely is behaving! 

God does not change; he is not a variable element that must be adapted to, or adjusted for. God is immutable, and reliable, and the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can count on him in all things, in all circumstances; all of creation is evidential proof of his majestic providence.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8) 

You may not be able to count on your fellow man to be consistent because humans have a fickle nature, but you sure can count on God to be everlastingly, powerfully, omnisciently the same, now and always. 

I pray your cactus blooms bright pink this Christmas, by the Almighty and tender hand of the LORD. 

NOTE: The cactus is acting like a cactus, and it doesn't even know it.