It’s a little hard to see, but our lilac bush now ONLY produces blooms at the top of its branches. Way too high for Ed and me to benefit from its beauty and fragrant aroma. The ravaging deer have so traumatized its lower efforts to bloom that it has given up even trying. A sort of kindergarten reaction of, “If you’re gonna treat me that way I will take my toys and go home!” Got me thinking about how aggressive attitudes and actions against us as followers for Jesus kinda do the same thing. Devour our blossoms, prune back our efforts to bloom in the future, and drive us into our own safe little worlds. Paul says “we are the fragrance of Christ.” (II Cor. 2:15) But reeling from the negative cultural onslaught we “take our fragrance and go home,” to the safety of our similar minded communities. The dust of the world’s rejection shaken from our shoes! Lilacs out of reach… and influence. I’d like to encourage our lilac bush to keep trying, despite the abuse. Buds bitten off are painful, but perhaps some will survive. The world still needs its beauty and fragrance! I guess our part as followers of Jesus is to at least make sure that the aroma we emit still smells like Him, not distorted by our fear or anger at the bloom-consuming culture. Cheek turned, resolve to love renewed.