Images from an Iris Garden

Yesterday when I got home I pulled into the driveway and noticed these Iris flowers. They are in a volunteer garden which grew up at the end of the drive, planted by a previous occupant of the house. This spring when things started growing I never realized that there was anything of note in this patch of Virginia clay except for some early weeds and some thin grass. As it is surrounded by railroad ties the patch never got mowed even when the grass grew tall (we have been very busy and I figured I could tear it out and plant it later when I had time). So over the past month the grass grew undisturbed and I never noticed there was anything else there until I pulled into the drive and the evening sun lit these blossoms up like living jewels.

I think in this, as in so many of life’s circumstances, there is a lesson to be learned. We spend so much of our time and energy trying to keep our lives manicured and orderly, but there are often weedy patches which we haven’t the time or ability to keep as we think we aught. Our industry is good, for without it our lives would be chaos, but sometimes – much to our surprise – it is through the weeds that God brings the greatest beauty.