Author: iandthoureflections

Digging Deeper with Calla Lilies

A Series from the Psalms

I welcome and embrace the presence of God.
Let the calla lily’s funnel remind me to stay open —
to God, to myself, and to others.

Spring is not just a season.
It’s a reawakening.
A time to see.
A time to feel.
A time to experience.
Nature waking after a cold winter’s slumber.

We turn inward.
Toward hope.
Toward grace.
Toward holiness.

Psalm 96:9 reminds us, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.”

Like a calla lily waiting for the right moment to rise through its tangled tubes, we wait for God’s breath to bring color back into every part of our lives.

And like those lilies, we weave our way through the messes of each day, figuring things out as we go.

Not all at once.
Not in a rush.
But slowly — deliberately —
trusting that clarity will come.

God is untangling us. Refreshing us. Renewing us.

There is no pressure.
No expectation.
Only an invitation.

The calla lily teaches us that reverence begins with a willingness to let God do the untangling, so we can grow in the way we were meant to. Its color reminds us that holiness doesn’t look the same on everyone.
Some of us are quiet.
Some of us are bold.
Some of us are simply ourselves.
And all of it is beautiful.
All of it is welcome.

May you be who you are.
May you grow in grace.
May you feel abundantly loved each and every day.

Image Credit: “29March2008344” by LukeGordon1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

#SacredBlooms #Psalms #Faith #Poetry #LoveJourney #Flowers #LifeJourney #Hibiscus #Tulips #Daisies #Lilies

Sacred Blooms: Calla Lily

A Series from the Psalms

I welcome the calla lilies that whisper prayers
as they unfurl in the early spring.
Let them remind me to open my heart
and breathe in gratitude each day.

Fun Fact:  Calla lilies originated from Africa. Lovely as they are, they’re not even lilies. And don’t let their beauty fool you. Their flowers are toxic.

Calla lilies.
Graceful and pure.
Slender and elegant.
Rising from deep green leaves,
they lift themselves toward the light
and push through the soil to offer prayers to heaven above.

Calla lilies are summer-blooming bulbs. They grow in confidence as they inch toward their full thirty inches. They are often white, yet they do bloom in various colors. Truly gorgeous.

Their grace is often present in chapels, churches, and other spaces for worship. Their funnel shape reminds us to stay open to what’s coming our way.
To receive what we need from God,
let go of what weighs us down,
and to be present to each moment as a gift.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Psalm 96:9

The calla lily invites us to slow down,
to breathe deeply,
to remember that reverence is about presence —
showing up before God with honesty and awe.

May your spirit be open to the sacred.
May you feel God’s grace shine upon you.
May you pause and be present a little more with each passing day.

Image Credit: “Calla Lillies” by Ani Carrington is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#SacredBlooms #Psalms #Faith #Poetry #LoveJourney #Flowers #LifeJourney #Hibiscus #Tulips #Daisies #Lilies

Digging Deeper with Tulips

A Series from the Psalms

I welcome the light of the morning,
which gives me the strength to rise and answer God’s call.

Tulips respond to light.
Even after they are cut, they continue to stretch, reach, and open.
There is something sacred going on.
A kind of persistence. Do you think?

Psalm 30:5 reminds us that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Morning is not just a time of day.
It is a time when we wake.
We listen.
We hear our heartbeat.
And we turn toward hope. A hope that God is going to do something incredible. Even if we can’t see it yet.

Like a tulip waiting for the right moment to burst through the ground, we wait for God’s hand to guide us through the seasons of life.

Like tulips, we move through seasons of darkness and cold. We have nights that feel long and moments that lack clarity. But God is always working behind the scenes, like in the ground where tulips prepare to bloom.

God is shaping us. Polishing us. Preparing us.

There’s no pressure.
No expectation.
Just an invitation.

The tulip teaches us that beauty is not rushed. Growth is not hurried. And joy—true joy—arrives in its own time, carried by the faithfulness of God. A God that loves us with an everlasting love.

May you feel the warmth of God’s light.
May you grow in the ways you need to grow.
May joy rise in you like morning light and
be full of promise and hope.

Image Credit: “Assisted Growth” by FeatheredTar
is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

#SacredBlooms #Psalms #Faith #Poetry #LoveJourney #Flowers #LifeJourney #Tulips #Hisbiscus #Daisies #Lilies #Roses

Sacred Blooms: Tulips

A Series from the Psalms

I welcome new beginnings. I welcome the unfolding within me as I watch tulips wake from their cold winter’s nap.

Fun Fact:  Tulips close at night and reopen in the morning, responding to light. They are also one of the few flowers that continue to grow even after their stems are cut.

Tulips.
Soft pastels.
Bold ones, too.
Push through cold ground,
Lifting toward the light
As if to smile and welcome love.

Tulips are the early risers of spring. They grow with confidence and like the cool air that still lingers all around. Their colors vary from soft to bold. So elegant they are.

Tulips have a mind of their own. Some unfold slowly, others open up quickly. They reveal their beauty one petal at a time.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

— Psalm 30:5

The tulip mirrors our souls. As we rise each morning, we are like tulips. Long, slender, and rising up to the light. We long for that steady stream of light to pull us through the day. God’s steadfast hand guides us all the way.

May your heart open gently to the new things
God is growing in you.
May joy meet you in the morning.
May you bloom on your schedule and not someone else’s.

Image Credit & Source: “TULIPS!” by The Glass Beehive* is licensed under CC BY 2.0. 

#SacredBlooms #Psalms #Faith #Poetry #LoveJourney #Flowers #LifeJourney
#Hibiscus #Tulips #Daisies #Lilies

Sacred Blooms: Introduction

A Series from the Psalms

I welcome new beginnings.
I welcome the unfolding within me as I watch flowers wake and gently bloom from their cold winter’s nap.

Flowers are tender, poetic, and intimate.
They bring a sense of beauty that seeps quietly into the sacred space within each of us. And as winter fades, blooms begin to unfold, right before our very eyes. A gentle reminder to us that new life is always on its way.

The Psalms are one of the poetry books of the bible. It is found in the Wisdom writings as the 19th book in the Old Testament.
Some say they are poems.
Others say they are songs. But they are far more than that.
They are a language that speaks to the soul–raw, honest, and being human before God.

In this series, we will look at how flowers differ from one another.
Some are small.
Some are bold.
Some open slowly.
Some open all at once.
Some bloom for a day.
Some bloom for a season.
Each one reveals something about how we grow, how we hope, and how we respond to God and to one another.

Posts will begin with an affirmation and a fun fact about a flower, followed by a Psalm, a short reflection, and a blessing. Together, these will form a beautiful bouquet — simple, tender, and rooted in God’s love for us.

And so, we begin —
a month of blooms.
A month of unfolding.
A month of letting the Psalms guide us gently into spring

“Tulip bud” by x70tjw is licensed under
CC BY-SA 2.0.

#SacredBlooms #Psalms #Faith #Poetry #LoveJourney #Flowers #LifeJourney #Lilies #Hibiscus #Daisies #Tulips

Sacred Love: Closing Thoughts

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that accepts me and supports me for who I am.

Sacred love is for all of us.
It flows from God.
Through friends.
Through partners.
Even through the way we learn to love ourselves.

It invites us to be heard.
To be affirmed.
To be valued – like gold and frankincense.
To be known. To be connected.

It is love that we hold for ourselves.
Each other.
Our families.
Our neighbors.
Our communities.

The Song of Songs tells us a love story.
It teaches us about longing,
delight,
choosing,
knowing,
and resting.

The love story belongs to us all.
Every soul.
In every season.
Wherever love is true. Safe. Mutual.

Sacred love is something to strive for.
It is worth waiting for.
It is worth protecting.
It is worth refusing to settle for anything less.

Because sacred love is the place where we are fully seen, fully held, and fully at rest.

Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death.

— Song of Solomon 8:6

May the God who IS Love, draw you into an intimate relationship with Him, with others, and with your own soul. Amen.

Image Source: Community Template on Book Brush

How would you define Sacred Love?

#SacredLove #SongOfSongs #Valentine’sDay #Intimacy #Faith #Poetry #IntimateFaith #HolyLove #LoveJourney

Sacred Love: Rest

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome the rest where love settles and stays.

Two hearts.
Two souls.
Two bodies.
Breathing in the same moment.
The body exhales, the heart’s rhythm slows, and the tingling warmth carries you to another time. Another place.
Where love becomes the gentle glow.

The Song of Songs hints at this sacred connection —
the resting under the apple tree,
the leaning into the beloved,
the stillness that follows delight.
Quiet.
Unassuming.
Presence.

Rest is its own kind of intimacy.
It is the trust that allows us to settle,
to be held,
to let the moment linger.
Safe.
Secure.
Free to simply be.

This is where our guard slips away.
We melt away fears and frustrations.
We open ourselves up to love.
To be fully known.
By God and our beloved.

Love is the rest.
It is the reset.
It is the sacred pause.
To return to ourselves and to others.

His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.

— Song of Solomon 2:6

May we find rest in love —
the kind that settles our spirit,
and reminds us that we are safe to simply be. Amen.

Image Credit: “Euan’s Apple Tree”
by Lynn Cadger
is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#SacredLove #SongOfSongs #Valentine’sDay #Intimacy #Faith #Poetry #IntimateFaith #HolyLove #LoveJourney

Sacred Love: Mutual Delight

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love where mutual delight is shared and received.

Two hearts meeting in the same place,
at the same time,
with the same yes—
this is where mutual delight begins.

Delight is active.
It’s shared.
Reciprocated.
Alive.

It is the moment when love becomes a dance—
a sacred dance.
in presence,
in breath,
in shared delight.

The Song of Songs celebrates this holy dance.
Two people–
chosen,
known,
desired,
Delighting in one another
fully present and vulnerable, with nothing held back.

Mutual delight is a gift from God—
meant to bind two souls in a love made holy by God.

I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

— Song of Solomon 7:10

May you know the joy of mutual delight—the kind that fills you with awe and wonder—and gives you the freedom to explore and discover the depths of true love. Amen.

Image Credit: “‘Together’ Mute Swans” by pete. #hwcp is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#SacredLove #SongOfSongs #Valentine’sDay #Intimacy #Faith #Poetry #IntimateFaith #HolyLove #LoveJourney

Sacred Love: The Garden

A Series of Longing from the Song of Songs

I welcome love that nourishes what is tender and
cultivates what is sacred within me.

There is a garden inside us all —
a place of fragrance and fruit,
a place where love takes root,
where beauty waits patiently to be seen.

The Song of Songs leads us into the garden—
A place of pomegranates and flowers,
inviting us to discover the sweetness.
A place where we cultivate,
nurture,
and tend to ourselves,
and to each other.

Love is like a garden.
It needs tending, cultivation, and nourishment.
It grows when we feed it,
water it,
and pull the weeds when needed.
When we choose to care,
and listen to what God has planted within.

Awake, north wind, and come, south wind. Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere.

— Song of Solomon 4:16

May you discover the garden within you —
the places where love is growing, the places waiting to be tended, the places ready to bloom.
May you nurture what is sacred, and cultivate what is good. Amen.

Image Credit: “My photo of Butchart Gardens” by DavidK-
Oregon is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

#SacredLove #SongOfSongs #Valentine’sDay #Intimacy #Faith #Poetry #IntimateFaith #HolyLove #LoveJourney