In October, when the days are getting shorter and cooler, I pull up the annuals that have bloomed all summer and clean the flowerbeds. The long, hot days of summer are the time most flowering plants prefer. They soak up the sun and display their blooms, but they do not tolerate cold and darkness very well. So, I put them away with gratitude for their contributions during the warmth of summer.
But when I put them away, I bring out the pansies. Here in the unpromising days of autumn, I plant them in the ground with faith that they will endure the winter. And endure they do. This winter we have had snow and temperatures dropping to 12 degrees. Most things died, but not the pansies. They endured; they even bloomed.
Now, somewhere along the way, when people displayed weakness, others began calling them “pansies.†I protest. Such a use of the term is a slam on one of the toughest little flowers ever to grace a garden. On icy mornings I look at them and wonder if they will survive. They always do. By noon they are even venturing forth with a new bloom.
We would do well to learn from such a plant. Perseverance under adverse circumstances is not just a trait to be admired in plants. It’s one that should be prominent in our lives.
It’s easy to cave in to pressure. A Chicago company is one of the world’s largest firms devoted to handling magazine mailings. Among other things, they send out renewal and expiration notices. One day the company’s computer malfunctioned. Soon after, a rancher in Powder Bluff, Colorado, began receiving mailings informing him that his subscription to National Geographic had expired. He ignored the mailings at first, but within a couple of weeks he had received 9,734 separate pieces of mail telling him of the expiration and urging him to renew his subscription. After receiving his 9,734th piece of mail, he caved in. He drove his pickup 10 miles to the nearest post office where he sent in money for a renewal—along with a note that said, “I give up! Send me your magazine!â€
When you experience that kind of pressure, it’s easy to cave in. But in matters of even more importance than magazine subscriptions, we must not give in. We must endure.
The name “pansy†is derived from the French word pensee, which means “thought.†When the pansy was introduced, many felt that its flower resembled a person’s face. And as it nodded in the wind, it appeared to be deep in thought. The long, harsh days of winter will cause you to do some serious thinking. It will cause you to think about things like endurance and perseverance. God values such matters in our lives. James 1:2-4 says that the tough times can develop perseverance and maturity in our lives.
You will be called many things in life. If anyone calls you a “pansy,†stand tall, and wear the title with pride!
