What Color are Your Flowers?

It's gardening season, so I'll ask....What color are you flowers?

Are they red? Are they pink? Purple? Blue? Do you have flowers?

Do you have a garden of only one color? Or are you like many of my gifted gardening buddies, with all different colors and types...a bounty of scents and colors and experiences?

When I was in college I heard, for the first time, the song Flowers are Red by Harry Chapin. Have you ever heard the song? I encourage you to give it a listen if you haven't. Give it a listen even if you had heard it, it's a great song. :)

Basically, the song is about a young boy who goes to school and decides to draw flowers of many colors. His teacher tells him it's not time to draw and "anyway flowers are green and red." Basically over time this teacher gets him to agree (after putting him in a corner) that flowers are green and red. Then he moves to another school where the teacher says that "there are so many colors in the flowers, so let's use every one..but that little boy painted flowers in neat rows of green and red..."

That song really stuck with me through the years. I have tried to raise each of my boys to see all of the colors of the rainbow. It's not always easy though. They tend to think outside the box which can be uncomfortable...particularly for me...as I like to blend in.

A few years ago, when we lived in a different school where they did the same art projects for each grade level every year copying the masters (great fun when you have multiple kids going through the district) the Husband was walking down the school hallway and the art teacher was yelling at kids to "not run in the halls." The Husband joked, "at least they're happy to be in school." She scowled at him and said, "No! They must learn to follow rules so that they can be good citizens."

Now anyone who knows us, would know that we are a family of rule followers. HOWEVER...I do not think that following rules is always going to make a good citizen. It might make a good status quo citizen but...I don't believe we were put on this earth to be status quo people...do you?

There are rules we follow for safety and the well-being of all. BUT there are rules that we all know are wrong or are unfair sooo if everyone just blindly follows the rules to be "good citizens" think of all the inequalities and injustices that would still exist.

The Husband and I were talking about following rules and laws the other night. He brought up Jesus. Jesus believed that the well-being of people, that ministry to people, superseded the law. I think Jesus set a pretty good example of what to do and how to be. :)

So I strive to be a rainbow flowered person and to encourage my kids to see the all the colors so that they may be not only good citizens but thinking, caring people. I pray that they look to Jesus as a role model.

If you're wondering, our flowers are red, purple, white and pink. :)

-Peace