ABCs of Spiritual Formation: T is for Tulip

“And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these.”

-- Matthew 6:28-29

T is for Tulip 

No, not that T.U.L.I.P., but I am curious as to what that word choice activated in you.

Jesus loves Calvinists and non-Calvinists, and I will avoid theological battles here. Growing maturity and spiritual formation does include honing our theological muscles, but this is an area the church generally focuses on, so I don't feel a need to go here. Many people do a much better job in this area than this non-theologian. I'll stay in my lane here.

NOTICE THE FLOWERS

Gary Thomas has written an excellent book, Sacred Pathways: Discover Your Soul's Path to God, in which he lays out nine spiritual temperaments or ways in which each of us connects with God. These aren't genetic, and we can grow in each of them, but we each have formed certain bents and discovering this makes a significant difference for many people. I know when I first learned of this framework, I was greatly encouraged and was able to have deeper compassion for myself and others.

This is to note that one of the temperaments is the Naturalist. Naturalists find that being in nature brings them closer to God. Perhaps this is true of you or perhaps you feel closest to God in a monastery or praying in front of an abortion clinic or during musical worship times. Regardless, God invites each of us to slow down and enjoy his creation. In this case I chose Tulips to represent one beautiful aspect of creation, a delicate flower. Tulips are wonderful. They are delicate and manifold in color and hue, and if you have ever been in a field full of tulips, try the Netherlands or Washington, D.C. in the spring, you must catch your breath for it is taken away. I chose Tulip to remind us that maturing in Christ means slowing down and noticing the flowers and enjoying them and being reminded that we are created and there is a Creator.

GOD’S WASTEFULNESS

Also, tulips are a wonderful example of God's extravagant abundance. What a lifecycle! No poverty mindset here. The bulb is planted in the fall but won't bloom until the spring. The bloom only lasts for 1-3 weeks, and they are back to stem and then just hidden bulb for another year. The bulb lasts a few years total. Meditate on that for a time. What do we learn about God by pondering the tulip (and flowers in general). In fact, the Bible tells us a few things. They are beautiful (Matthew 6:28-29), remind us of our mortality and the Word of God's eternality (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:23-24), signal a time of celebration (Song of Solomon 2:12), and point us to God's redemption and salvation (Isaiah 35:1-2).

THE TULIP CRAZE

Another lesson to learn from the tulip harkens to the cautionary tale of speculative madness called Tulip-mania which occurred in Holland from 1634-1637 when the price of a single tulip bulb skyrocketed. Allegedly, one bulb would exchange hands for all the following: two bushels of wheat, four bushels of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, twelve fat sheep, two barrels of wine, four vats of beer, two tubs of butter, 1,000 lbs. of cheese, a complete bed, a suit of clothes, and a silver drinking cup! (Not one of those things; all of them!) Then in February 1637 the bottom fell out of the market and the price crashed to near zero. The details of this account of history are debated by modern scholars, but everyone agrees that the tulip market went crazy during those years.

We are reminded how easy it is to get caught up in speculation and the madness of the crowd, the trends of the times, the newest fashion or fad, or the latest and greatest ideas. Whoever is without sin can throw the first stone here, but we learn and grow from failure and sin. Grace abounds.

Growing maturity and wisdom means we more and more stay grounded and faithful to the firm foundation of God's promises and pace and rhythms. The teacher in Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is nothing new under the sun. God's word has been true since it was written and will continue to be. God's Spirit grows the same fruit in us in the same way as Paul described to the Galatian Christians 2000 years ago.

Look at the Tulip and stand firm in the slow-moving, ever-gracious path of our loving heavenly Father.

“Every flower must grow through dirt.”

— Laurie Jean Sennott