Cling to Him

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO: Picture Praise, 2/6/12

I love taking pictures of flowers. I have folders and folders of them on my computer. Some are printed out and hung on walls. Someday my kids will inherit my computer and just delete most of them. So I’ve asked myself, why do I continue to take so many?

I think it comes down to looking for, and finding, the beauty that is often hidden or unnoticed all around me. Some days it’s easy to only see the dust of dry season, the hard life that many of my friends have, poverty, injustice and the list goes on. In each flower I see beauty, brilliance, intricate detail and the loving and creative touch of the Father’s hand. It’s His way of reminding me that He offers hope to a world that, for now, is not like He intended it to be.

I took this picture after eating a picnic lunch at a runway at a nearby town (pilots' wives do things like that). The runway was dry-season-brown instead of the lush green of rainy season. But this one flower remained along the fence line – resilient and proclaiming hope.

photographer: Chris Van Weerdhuizen, Cameroon, Africa. "My husband and I serve as part of the support team for Wycliffe. Over the years (20 years in the Philippines and now in Cameroon), I’ve been privileged to do a variety of practical helps to support the Bible translation task. God has not gifted me in linguistics, but I can provide hospitality, be a listening ear, encourage and pray for those are. Together we can bring God’s word to the Bible-less people of the world."