Thriving TogetherSample

Seeds into Flowers

If you’re getting married soon, what image would you say best reflects your love? Is it beautiful flowers? Or is it more like a packet of seeds?

Some weddings are nothing short of a flower extravaganza. There are elaborate flower decorations and even a flower girl. And don’t forget the bridal bouquet. All those flowers are intended to represent the couple’s love: vibrant and in full bloom.

But well-known author Dr. Gary Smalley, who had officiated many weddings, used a unique illustration to help couples understand the true nature of their love. Midway through the ceremony, he’d hand the bride and groom a packet of flower seeds. He explained that their love, as beautiful as it is, is more like the packet of seeds than the flowers surrounding them.

Before all of those elaborate wedding decorations, there were seeds. With the right elements—sun, water, good soil, and time—those seeds became a beautiful floral arrangement.

In the same way, your love as a new couple has growing to do. Even as you commit your lives to each other, your love has only just started. It needs the right conditions and years of nurturing to blossom fully.

Nurture our marriage relationship into full bloom, Lord. Thank You for the gift of planting and growing a lifetime of love and beauty.