A TRILLION TRILLIUMS

Make Every Day Count for Christ’s Eternal Purpose

In this world, outward beauty is fleeting. Even the regal trilliums fade and wither and die. Some of the dandelions in my backyard are dying, too. In their last throes of life, they stand tall and erect like soldiers, but with their dead heads threatening to bend their fragile stalks. Once gone, every single seed will live on to replenish the earth.

They remind me of my life—fleeting and fragile, yet with a purpose of furthering the Gospel to future generations. No matter how old, how faded or withered, I must make every day count toward drawing others to Christ—not for a day, a week, or a season, but for eternity. After all, I am a soldier in Christ’s army against sin and death. How about you?

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES by Sally Bair

A Trillion Trilliums

On the way home from upper Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, we came across miles of trilliums that carpeted the forest in an endless, white blanket. Each bloom held three exact, pure white petals.

The Large-flowered Trillium grows in mixed forests of conifers and deciduous trees and in the moist shade of roadsides, floodplains, and ravines. It is evident along wooded bluffs and rocky slopes. The word trillium originates from the Latin “tres” for three and “lilium” for lily.

Trilliums bloom for two to three weeks in early spring before the forest canopy leafs out, shading the plant. They can live for more than twenty-five years, but are heavily browsed by deer. If browsed repeatedly, trilliums will die out after several years. Because of their fragility in reproduction, they are protected in some states, including Wisconsin.

The beautiful blooms remind me of the Trinity—God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each petal is exactly the same, similar to God being three Persons in one. God is often referred to as white light. When Jesus was transfigured on a mountain, “His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow ….” (Mark 9:3) Jesus came as “a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46) The Bible refers to Him as the Lily of the Valley.
The trillium, like God, is regal in its bearing. Some trilliums bend downward—a perfect picture of God’s humility. Jesus, at His death, bent downward when He carried His cross and when He hung on that cross.

Trilliums show us not only a picture of God but of us, as well. We are created as a “tri” unit that is body, soul, and spirit—unable to live to our fullest potential without all parts working together. We are made pure white when we repent of our sins. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

We are like beautiful lilies when we choose to serve God as He wills. Like the trillium, we can live our whole lives in Christ—if we choose not to allow outside influences and our own fleshly desires to destroy our faith. We can bend, like the trillium, in humble service to God if we choose. We can also stand regally tall in praise to God.

Lord, thank You for the lessons of the trillium which teaches us to be humble and obedient so we can flourish in beauty and purity. In Jesus’ name, amen.