“The Blow-out” by Doug Fincher

"Consider how the wild flowers grow...”  Luke 12:27

April 12, 2021 - Back in the seventies, I had an appointment to preach a morning service at The Old Salem Baptist Church near Newton, Texas. When Amber, my youngest daughter, said she’d like to go with me, I told her that my old pickup was not air conditioned and that all my tires were treadless “may-pops.” It was during one of the “leanest” days of my life and I warned Amber that it would be an exceptionally hot summer drive.

After the service, we were returning home on that hot afternoon when a booming blowout pulled me off the highway. There was not a house in sight, cell phones not yet invented, and I didn’t have a spare tire. I was not only concerned about a tire, but was especially worried about how Amber was going to do in the hot sun. As I stood at the roadside thumbing a ride, Amber called out, “Look, Daddy,” and as she held a bouquet of flowers in her hand, smiled, “Aren’t they beautiful!”

I have thought of that day many times since then. We all experience stressful blow-outs during our lives, and when we do, we often don’t see the flowers growing along the roadside. It would be good if we’d forget our problem for a moment and pick some of these beautiful flowers ... just like Amber did.