Biblical blooms.

Hey friend! I hope you had a peaceful, yet fun-filled Easter this past weekend. I know we did! We were lucky enough to join Baetje Farms in Bloomsdale for their Easter Brunch and we had an absolute blast creating bouquets, enjoying their delicious brunch (& maybe some bottomless mimosas), taking cute selfies with goats, and meeting all kinds of new friends. It was a gorgeous day to get to do what we love. Reflecting back on the weekend really got me thinking about the root (heh) of why we celebrate Easter in the first place & how that ties to our little biz we have going.

Hint: I'm not talking about the giant bunny.

We were relieved that even though we had an event on Sunday, one of our churches offered a Saturday night service for us to attend. Because while Easter has so many different fun elements to make it special, when it comes down to it, the real reason for the season is Jesus. After an amazing church service Saturday night, our hearts were filled and ready for Sunday. And while it may seem like centering our Easter Sunday around flowers is somehow a distraction from Jesus... that actually isn't exactly true.

Did you know God (& Jesus) had a heart for flowers too?

In fact, out of all the places He could have chosen to start mankind, he specifically chose to put the very first human beings in a garden. Not only that, but a garden that He himself planted! The bible says that God created the heavens, and He made the wild animals, but when it talks about the Garden of Eden, it says He planted it. This makes it a personal project, and something He took His time on. I like to picture Him out there, covered in dirt, deciding which trees to put where, which bulbs had to be planted deeper in order to flourish...you know, the real deal! How lucky are we to serve a hands-on God?

The Garden of Eden (also called the Garden of God) wasn't the last time we heard the bible reference flowers & plants. It would be a real shame if the reputation of gardens in the bible were ruined by an apple, wouldn't it? Luckily throughout God's word, we see plenty of examples of symbolism involving flowers. They are used to symbolize beauty, growth, temporary things, the value of hard work and living intentionally, and the fullness of God. In other words, they were important to God & His work here on Earth. You can find entire lists of bible verses involving flowers. (Luke 12:27-28, Psalm 136:25-26, Hosea 14:5-6...) I encourage you to read some of them if you have time to spare, because there are some really important lil bits in there that are worth a read.

"God writes the Gospel not in the bible alone, but on trees and flowers, and clouds and stars." - Martin Luther

One of the reasons we even began Plant Joy and Co, was because we see the value in flowers too. (duh!) We see plants and flowers as being little details that God didn't have to give us, and yet he did. Abundantly. When we witness the joy people get seeing our flower car, getting to pick out these beautiful blooms... we see God. You see, not everyone is cut out to be a preacher or a missionary, and they don't have to be! We believe that God's kingdom can also be furthered by people who simply appreciate the beauty and love God has given us, and share it with others. We try to engage with you in a positive, friendly, and intentional way. We want to show you a smile that you may need, and provide something tangible for you to bring home and spark that same joy whenever you see it. Our favorite part, though, is when we hear that you're making the bouquet to give away. We have been blessed to witness so many of you being generous and selfless. We have had people buy for their elderly neighbor, for the single mom they work with, or for a friend in serious need of a pick-me-up. It's a part of this business that will never get old to us, and will put a smile on our face every time. It's the verb in our name, and the vision we had when we created it: to use our flowers to plant joy in your heart, and to inspire you to do the same.

Keeping with the Easter theme here, there is one thing the bible uses flowers to symbolize that I believe to be so important and that is that our lives are temporary. 1 Peter 1:24 says that, "For all people are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall." It is a fact of life that our days are numbered. We weren't made to live forever on this Earth, but thanks to the miracle that is Jesus' resurrection, we get to live forever in heaven. The good news we celebrated this past weekend--is everything! Before Jesus, we couldn't bridge that gap to God. We didn't have this hope in our hearts that this world is not the end. Once Jesus rose out of the tomb & defeated death, we lost the need to fear it. You notice though, that God didn't just skip the Earthly portion of our eternal life. Like the flowers, we are meant to serve a purpose. We are the image of God's beauty and grace while we are here. A living example of God's love. Yes, we will fade and wither away after time, but that doesn't make our existence any less important. We were made for a reason.

God takes care of the plants on this Earth. He provides for them, and equips them with what they need to flourish and thrive. He does a l l of this because He loves them. If this is true and He takes care of even the tiniest of flowers because He loves them... how much more must He care about you?