Colorful butterflies from flowers that leaped from their stalks; roses seated on the throne as king and queen; red cockscombs acting as chamberlains; blue violets that imagined themselves as naval cadets dancing with “young lady” hyacinths and crocuses; and refined, older women that once were yellow lilies and tulips. Hans Christian Andersen imagined flowers coming alive in his story, “Little Ida’s Flowers”.

Transitions from one realm to another can be difficult for most of us to conceive, perhaps the most challenging of all being our own resurrection. Jesus promises that according to God’s will, all who believe in Jesus will have eternal life and will rise up on the last day (John 6:40). Our bodies will be transformed into an immortal state and we will remain with God for all eternity.

Scripture offers us a parallel experience in gardening.

“You plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different (The Message, 1 Corinthians 15:38-41).

This is our ultimate reward for living a life in Christ. Are you ready?

(Hans Christian Andersen Illuminated by The Message is available from Amazon.com, ACTA Publications, and my website.

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