Have you ever stopped to think about the diversity that exists in the flower world?

You could think about how different flowers are in many different ways; but the one that struck me today was size.

The world’s biggest flower is the Rafflesia arnoldii, also known as the “corpse flower”, as it uses a stinky odor to attract the insects it eats. The corpse flower is found in rainforests in southeast Asia and can grow up to a meter (3 feet) in diameter, weighing as much as 7 kg (15 pounds)! Unfortunately they only bloom once every 7-10 years!

On the flip side, the world’s smallest flower is the Wolffia, also known as “watermeal”. This aquatic plant in the duckweed family has individual plants that are less than 1 mm in diameter!

What a difference!

God does, indeed, have such a wonderful imagination! He knew that we would get bored if everything were always the same, so He created such diversity. Each of those flowers also serves a different purpose. The question that really struck me today, however, was this: If I were a flower, what size would I want to be? I mean, do the tiny flowers wish they were big? Do the big ones get tired of only blooming once every 7-10 years? Do they wish there were smaller so they could flower more often?

In some strange and odd way, this made me think of the parable of the talents: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” (Matthew 25:14 NKJV)  I’ve always wondered why one man was given 5 talents, while another was only given 1. I mean, I know the Bible says, “to each according to his own ability”, but we know that our “abilities” are God-given! Wouldn’t the one who only received 1 talent be jealous of the one who received 5? Would he see himself as “second-class” because God hadn’t gifted him with as many “abilities”?

Could it be that the answer to this question is the same as the answer to the question about why God created such diversity in the size of flowers? Because each person is designed with just the abilities and talents required for a specific task? Some people have so many abilities and talents; but if you think about it, others, with fewer abilities and talents, fill a very different, but just as necessary, role in life!

Take, for example, witnessing: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,” (Ephesians 4:11 NIV). Of course, the apostles and the evangelists are like the “big” flowers! They accomplish much in their missions. The teachers, on the other hand, may not be influencing thousands of people at one time like the evangelists do. Rather, they may work individually with people. They are the “tiny flowers”, yet the work done by these teachers is every bit as important as the work done by the evangelists!

Sometimes the work God has for us to do is only for a season. Back in my younger days, before I developed dementia, I founded and directed the Answers2Prayer ministries. I was a “big flower”, being constantly in contact with so many people, reaching out to help each and every one. Now I can no longer direct the ministry, my wife has had to take over that function for me. My “big flower” days were only for a season. Does this mean, however, that I am no longer a “flower”? That I no longer have an important purpose?

Absolutely not!

I am now in a “tiny flower” season of life, yet in my own way, I reach out and touch as many people as I can every day. Maybe it is just a smile to my fellow residents, or maybe a handshake in passing. Maybe I am allowed to give someone a hug, and it brightens their day. Or maybe, just maybe, I’ll see someone who is sad, and I’ll pray for them.

No, I’m no longer a “big flower”, but when I make someone smile who minutes before looked sad, haven’t I served a valuable purpose in my “tiny flower” way?

No matter where you find yourself in life, God has a purpose for you. Perhaps it is a season of your life where you can influence a lot of people. But even if you are in a “tiny flower” season, keep reaching out, for God created the people with fewer abilities for a reason: to fulfill a purpose that a “big flower” person cannot fulfill!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries