The Purple Flower

On a sunny summer afternoon, Kayla and her parents decided to take a walk through the woods. When they first moved to the farm, Dad had cleared a path that looped through the woods at the back of their property.Kayla loved walking in the woods with her parents. She would often just stand still and take in the sounds and smells of the forest. It was always so peaceful and beautiful. As she rounded a curve in the path, something caught Kayla's eye. "Mom, Dad, come look at this!" she called.Mom and Dad walked over to where Kayla was standing. On the ground, nestled between a bunch of leaves and sticks, was a bright purple flower."Wow, that flower was hidden well," Dad said.Mom nodded. "If you hadn't been standing right there, we would have missed it.""It's too pretty to just leave hidden out here. Can I pick it and take it home?" Kayla asked.Mom checked her phone to make sure it was okay to pick, and then Kayla carefully picked the flower and held on to it as they continued on around the path. Once they reached the house, Kayla grabbed a vase from under the kitchen sink, filled it with water, and placed the flower in it. She set the vase on the table so they all could enjoy it."It's so beautiful!" Kayla exclaimed.During devotions that evening, Dad read some verses from the book of Matthew. "You know, that flower you found in the woods today is a good example of this Bible lesson," he said when he finished reading. "The flower was just so bright and beautiful that you couldn't leave it hidden in the woods. You wanted everyone to see it. Well, this verse is saying that's what we're like as Christians. We have the light of Jesus in us, and we shouldn't try to hide it. We need to shine bright like that flower so that others can see the beauty of His love in our lives."That night when Kayla went to bed, she prayed that the Lord would help her be a shining light for Him. She wanted others to see Jesus in her life. -Lisa Fuller