The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. [Genesis 1:12 (NLT)]
When I saw a wildflower that looked like a helicopter’s rotors, I showed it to the park’s naturalist for identification. Not as impressive as Scarlet Hibiscus or as colorful as Butterfly Weed, she found the plant unworthy of name or notice and wrote it off as “just a weed!” What some people call “weeds,” I think of as wildflowers and a little research told me it was the floret of Egyptian Crowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium). Native to Africa and widely distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, it is one of the most drought-resistant of grasses.
While Crowfoot Grass may be a weed to some people, it is relished by ruminants like sheep, cattle, deer, and their relatives. Suitable for silage, it makes valuable pasture, excellent hay, and its seeds are fed to poultry. The plant material is used for making paper and weaving mats and baskets. In traditional African and Asian folk medicine, decoctions of its seeds have diuretic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, and antibacterial effects. Its highly nutritious seeds make it a “famine food” and, when food is scarce, those seeds are used to make porridge and cakes that can sustain people’s lives in times of need.
Ralph Waldo Emerson described a weed as “a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered,” and the naturalist’s quick dismissal of the Crowfoot Grass was because she didn’t appreciate its unseen qualities. Nevertheless, some of God’s best work is evident in His unusual and underrated “weeds” and the same might be said about their human equivalents. Like the unimpressive and humble Crowfoot Grass, God’s prophets were out of the ordinary, overlooked, unappreciated, and rebuffed by many. Nevertheless, even though they were disregarded and disparaged as if they were weeds in a rose garden, they continued in faithful obedience to God.
Like Crowfoot Grass, Jesus didn’t meet people’s expectations or conform to the norm. To Pilate, Herod, Judah’s religious leaders, Rome, and many others in 1st century Palestine, Jesus was little more than a troublesome weed that needed to be eradicated. Appearances, however, are deceiving—that unpretentious weed was the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, and (like Crowfoot Grass) the Bread of Life!
Crowfoot Grass doesn’t look like much but appearances are deceiving. Just as the naturalist dismissed it as “just a weed,” I wonder if I ever do the same with people! Judging by appearance, do I fail to take the time to discover their hidden virtues? After all, a weed is simply a flower in disguise! Let’s never make the error of failing to look beneath the surface to appreciate the value and beauty of both the plants and people we encounter in God’s garden.
There is not a flower that opens, not a seed that falls into the ground, and not an ear of wheat that nods on the end of its stalk in the wind that does not preach and proclaim the greatness and the mercy of God to the whole world. [Thomas Merton]
Several years ago, I purchased a beautifully drawn coloring book featuring scenes from the Colorado mountain town that had been part of our lives for thirty-five years. Since it was a gift for one of my grands, I asked the artist to sign the book. She added these words to her signature: “Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!” Was the artist’s advice limited to her book or was it about something more?
Do these verses mean I can’t wear my pearl earrings, diamond wedding ring, or gold cross to church? Do I have to say “farewell” to Nordstrom’s and start shopping solely at outlets and discount stores? Although my hair is short, it’s hard to believe my grand’s lovely French braids are inappropriate at church or anywhere else. What did Paul and Peter mean with their admonitions about women’s attire and modesty?
I grew up attending the Episcopal Church at a time when women covered their heads during worship and the men worshipped bare-headed. While not a hard and fast rule in the denomination, it was a time-honored tradition. Women wearing head coverings in Episcopal and Catholic churches began to wane in the 70s and, by 1983, the Roman Catholic church no longer had rules regarding headwear for men or women. The last time I attended an Episcopal or Catholic church, the women were hatless and some of the men wore baseball caps! Although culture plays an important role in the way we dress and behave in church, how do we interpret Paul’s words today? Should I dig out my mantilla and must our pastor toss out his ball cap?
Jeopardy introduced me to the word “performative” but, in an article about how scandals are hurting organized religion, the New York Times introduced me to another new word, “orthopraxy.” While “orthodoxy” means correct belief, doctrine, or teaching, “orthopraxy” has to do with correct practice, behavior, or action. Orthodoxy says, “Hear my words!” but orthopraxy says, “Watch my behavior!” With the flood of scandals throughout the Christian church, it’s easy to point our fingers at the disgraced Christian celebrities, megachurch pastors, and Roman Catholic priests whose orthodoxy didn’t match their orthopraxy—people who espoused devotion to God and adherence to His word while disregarding it in their own lives. Let’s remember, however, that whenever we point a finger at someone, three other fingers point at us! Although the Times article was about the disconnect between orthodoxy and orthopraxy in the church at large, there’s often a disconnect between the two in our personal lives, as well.
In the category of “Newer Words,” the night’s Final Jeopardy clue was, “Philosopher’s use it for language that accompanies an action, like ‘I dub thee knight’; it also means done for show or signal.” The correct response was “performative.” A new word to me, I encountered it again the following day in an article by Rich Villodas about “performative spirituality.” After asking, ”If a good deed is not posted on social media, did it really happen?” Villodas continued with another rhetorical question, “If an act of generosity is not caught on camera and never goes viral, was it a worthwhile gesture?”
Devotions of the Heart 