It's a Dead Flower, Yes, But How Did it Live?

I've been staring at this photo for days. I don't know what it is that grabs me, but I'm captivated by it. I'm not intrigued by the type of flower or colour it may have been, but by what it did in its short life. Did it bring someone joy? Did it sit in a vase on someone's desk? Did it cause a smile or two, a moment of pause and marvel at God's creation? In short, did it live well?

These are dumb questions to ask of a flower, I realise, but they naturally spill over into my own life. Do I please my Creator? Am I willing to sacrifice myself - to be "cut" - to bring joy, share hope, and do that which God has called me to do? Am I willing to risk, to bloom boldly and totally, no matter what else is going on around me? And what if no one ever sees but God? Am I still going to live well?

"The supreme desire of my life is to give myself in reckless abandon to Christ." - Ed McCully