For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isa. 53:2, NKJV.
I find it interesting that some of our holidays are closely linked with characteristic plants. Easter lilies, Christmas trees, St. Patrick’s Day shamrocks and four-leaf clovers, and of course Valentine’s Day roses. Christmas actually has several characteristic plants connected with the year-end celebration. Mistletoe and holly are beautiful in their own way, but have you seen the deep-green foliage and brilliant reds of the poinsettias this Christmas season? These striking plants are a real favorite because of their bright Christmas colors. Nothing comes close to matching the beauty of a big cluster of poinsettias. One of our local greenhouses is a virtual sea of red and green in early December when their poinsettias start developing their color.
But if you look at the poinsettia bloom closely, you will discover that the flower is really rather plain. The descriptors “ugly,” “simple,” and “unattractive” also come to mind. If you have noted how the bright-red “petals” look much like leaves, you are right. They aren’t petals at all. Botanists call them bracts. Bracts are modified leaves that surround a cluster of unimpressive yellow flowers. And in poinsettias these hideous flowers called Cyathia do their flower thing of making pollen and seed but in a very low-key way.
Various legends of poinsettias and Christmas originate in Mexico, where the plant grows as a native weed up to 15 feet tall. According to one such legend, poor Mexican children gave their best love gift that they had to the Christ child lying in the manger, part of the village nativity scene. Other children laughed and ridiculed the collection of weeds placed in the manger by the poor urchins. But then the miracle happened. The brilliant red star-shaped color developed, showing that a gift of love from the heart is of surpassing value.
Like poinsettia flowers, Jesus is described as unattractive and plain. But the reality of His birth, death, and resurrection, born of unquenchable love, surrounds Him in indescribable beauty and splendor. Why not give Jesus your best and watch how He turns it into beauty?
Lord, today I give You my heart, my life, my all. Though it isn’t pretty, it is my best and most precious gift that I can give. Through the miracle of Your grace, may it be a thing of beauty to glorify Your name today.