The Lesson of the Daffodil

After my morning on the sidewalks of the abortion center speaking for the babies, it was time to go get my own baby. He is not really a baby anymore. Ragnar, my granddog, is now two years old.  I love the days when I dogsit so his folks can go earn the Dogfood. He lives in a small apartment with them, so our spacious fenced in back yard is a real treat for him. He doesn’t care that we have more weeds and sticks than grass or that the fence is twenty years old.

Yesterday was a lovely warm day. Ragnar spent most of the afternoon out in the backyard. He discovered the newly blooming daffodils and I hurrried out to snap picturesque photos of the gorgeous dog amidst the daffodils. And how cute is this....

...he started nibbling one. I thought it was so cute that I posted it on Facebook and sent the photo to my daughter. Here was the response: “Nice photo. Daffodils are poisonous to dogs.”

With horror, I researched that fact on Google. True! He didn’t really eat the daffodil, just mouthed it and quickly lost interest. I guess that somehow he knew he should not eat the daffodil. My cousin told me that even the deer, who consider gardens their lunch buffet, do not eat daffodils.

This struck me as an astonishing warning and symbol from God. Sometimes spectacularly alluring and beautiful things are gravely dangerous. We must be discerning !  This is a spiritual truth that has been smacking me in the face repeatedly of late. The Bible warns us that Satan himself comes disguised as an angel of light, but is really a demon of darkness. 

This has had direct practical application in my work for Cities4Life  Many of the women we help, as well as the former abortion workers we help leave the industry, have had very difficult lives. Many have learned coping mechanisms that are not healthy. We have to recognize how to help them without enabling self-destructive behavior. Sometimes, we are deceived and manipulated. 

My nature is to be very trusting. I want to believe the best about people. This can be a good quality, but it can also be a very bad one. I am gullible and that can be quickly taken advantage of. On the other hand, the fact that I am willing to give most folks the benefit of the doubt may make me less threatening to wounded spirits. Many of the people we work with go on to living lives dedicated to God, renouncing the sin that entangled them.

Nonetheless, we are called to be wise in how we deal with the world.

The Bible warns us: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).  Additionally:  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

There is an enemy of our souls and he is powerful. He has no claim on those who have surrendered their lives to Christ, but he can still wreak havoc and deceive us. We are to be wary, to test all thing. As Ronald Reagan said, “Trust, but verify.”

It is not hopeless. We do not have to fall prey to falsehood  and the dangers of deceptive, enticing sin and evil. God sends us a spirit of discernment, but we need to exercise it. 

1 Corinthians 6:3: Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

We can judge rightly, but we must call upon the spirit of God which indwells believers and guides us in all righteousness. We can not do it on our own for the enemy is crafty and strong, and often appears to be beautiful when, in fact, he carries a deadly poison to our soul. This is important for me to keep in mind in how to best interact with and help the people who believe that killing their unborn child or being a part of a business that does so for profit is condoned or approved of by God. I must be reminded of the capacity of my own heart to fall prey to deception and lies. Unless I am closely abiding in Christ, I will not perceive truth clearly. 

It is the lesson of the daffodil. Not all flowers are benign, however beautiful a halo that glows upon their stems. Be wary.

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2 Corinthians 11:14-15 

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.