Grab the Morning Glory
At certain times of the year, my porch rails fill with twisting green vines that seem to grow overnight. Purple Morning Glory blossoms pop up in the early hours each day like beautiful gifts left by the Lord at dawn. To enjoy them, you have to grab the Morning Glory early!
But they do not last. They open up their tender petals only in the morning. If you are not an early riser, you’ll miss them all together. By noon the blossoms begin to fold and curl in the sun’s heat. Soon they have closed up completely. Each bloom that graced the rail so beautifully in the morning will wither and fall to the ground before sunset of the same day.
Usually the Morning Glories fill me with joy because I am an early riser and I do get to enjoy them, but this morning feels different. For some reason this morning, when I look at the blossoms, I am not seeing flowers, but children. Children opening up in those tender years, opening up to us, the parents, teachers, coaches, youth leaders, counselors, friends, relatives.
Just like my lovely flowers, children open up to us for just a short, short time. During this time, they are needing our love, our wisdom, our instruction, our protection, but most of all they need our time, because, you see, their time during this blossoming morning is so brief. There are things that can be accomplished only during their “morning glory” of childhood. There are lessons taught, values established, and memories made only during this time.
For all of us parenting, teaching, guiding, coaching or just loving a child today, let us never forget this: time is our most valuable and scarce resource with children. So today, make sure you Grab the Morning Glory!
You can see all of the articles by Sarah on Sunday School Zone.
