A Strange Flower

A Strange Flower

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

Miss Clara Morris, a well-known star of the stage, once found herself in a difficult onstage position. It was years ago, when she was playing Camille. In the first scene, the unfortunate Armand was supposed to take a camellia from Camille as a token of her love. They had almost reached that point in the scene, when Miss Morris glanced down and saw that the flower was missing from its accustomed place on her blouse.

What could she do? On the flower hung the strength of the entire scene. However, “the show must go on,” so she continued delivering her lines in an abstracted way while she began hunting the stage for the missing camellia or for some substitute. Her gaze wandered until she spotted some celery on the dinner table. Moving slowly toward it, she grasped the celery and twisted the tops into a camellia form. Then she began the fateful lines:

“Take this flower. The life of a camellia is short. If held and caressed, it will fade in a morning or an evening.”

Hardly able to control his laughter, Armand spoke his lines, which were, “It is a cold, scentless flower. It is a strange flower.” And Miss Morris agreed with him.

As Shakespeare pointed out, life is also a stage, and we are the players. Just as it happened for Miss Morris, things sometimes go wrong on life’s stage as well, and we have to improvise because “the show must go on.”

Life seems to be a series of problems we need to solve. How we approach those dilemmas—whether with despair or joy—often determines how complicated they become. Even when problems last, if faced with joy they are more bearable and may “fade in a morning or an evening.”

For our problems, Father, we thank you, because we know they help us to grow stronger. Help us to face them with joy. Amen.