The Wedding Florist

 

My daughter is a wedding florist. When she puts flowers together in a bouquet, they are a work of art. You only get one wedding, right? So, the flowers, like everything else, need to be the most glorious you’ve ever seen.

We live in Melbourne, Australia. It is cold right now. Nobody wants a cold wedding. Because, just like the flowers, you want the best weather you can get, and that’s not going to happen in August in Melbourne.

With no work for the month, my daughter decided to try a pop-up flower stand in a local shopping centre. So, the wedding florist showed up with flowers and started making bouquets. Wedding bouquets. Because that’s what she does. And wow, the comments!

I sat in the flower stand for a few hours each afternoon that I could. “Are these flowers real?” was the most common question I got asked.

I would smile and say, “Yes! They are beautiful, aren’t they?” Then I would tell them about my daughter, the wedding florist, and why these flowers looked so much better than the flowers they were used to seeing. “A wedding florist shapes each flower,” I said, more than once.

One young couple walked by holding hands. She whispered to him, “You should buy me flowers!”

I wasn’t meant to hear it, but being single-sided deaf, I read lips very well. I said, “Yeah, he should!” They both turned around and burst out laughing.

An elderly lady walked up and said, “I need some flowers for my neighbour’s daughter. But, I’m not sure if she will come past the house, now that her mum has died.”

“When did your neighbour die?” I asked.

“Yesterday.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” I said, “Did you know your neighbour well?”

She smiled warmly. “Oh yes, she moved in six years ago and we talked nearly every day!”

I paused and then said, “Your friend passed away yesterday. Are you okay?”

She looked up at me with a teary smile, “What a lovely question,” she said, “Yes, I’m okay. She’s been unwell for some time.”

I had so many great conversations during those afternoon shifts in the flower stand. Ladies, young and old, wanted to tell me about their weddings. Men wanted me to know they used to be florists, deliver flowers, or be married. And lots of people just wanted to be heard. Flowers slow people down. All beautiful things do.

One particular conversation with a man stands out. He was chatty but clearly uncomfortable. I was trying to read him, but getting odd signals. It’s like he had something to say but wasn’t sure he could. Finally, he blurted, “I don’t usually say this, and I’m not sure how you’ll take it, but Jesus loves you.”

“I know!” I said and smiled. “Thanks for reminding me. Do you go to church nearby?”

Clearly relieved, he said, “Yes, I go to the church at the end of Hull Road. It’s called The Sanctuary.”

I laughed. “I go to the same church!” I said, “I just go on the day before you.”

He looked confused and then said, “Oh! Are you a Seventh-day Adventist?”

I nodded and said, “I am, and there’s something I want you to know. Jesus loves you, too!”

I shared the story of this conversation during chapel at the Seventh-day Adventist School, located up the road from the church. When I said the line, “I go to the same church. I just go on the day before you.” I met eyes with one of the teachers who also goes to church with me on Saturdays. She had the same confused look on her face as the man did. What was I missing?

It wasn’t until a few days later, when I was reading a book, that I realised how I was confusing people. In Reggie McNeal’s “A Work of Heart”, he describes a new mindset that is emerging in Christianity — actually a very old mindset — in which followers of Jesus see only two cultures: The Kingdom of God and the pre-Christian world. In a world where Jesus is largely unknown, there are only two kinds of people: those who know Jesus and those who do not. For the past 200 years, during the Christian and post-Christian era, the many denominations of Christianity have been in competition with each other, stealing sheep as often as they could. Many people who grew up in pre-millennial churches still have this mindset. But those of us Jesus people who see the apostolic pre-Christian world around us work together. And, as much as the world needs Jesus, we Jesus followers need each other!

On my final day manning the flower stall, I watched as a stooped elderly lady and her carer walked ever-so-slowly toward one side of the flower display. Finally, they reached the right front corner. Her eyes were downcast, fixed firmly on the seat of her walker as she pushed it along, shuffled step by shuffled step. I waited until she was directly in front of me, flowers all around her. “Hello!” I said cheerfully. She looked up slowly until our eyes met. “How are you today?” I asked.

“Not good at all.” She said.

“It’s been one of those days, has it?” I asked.

She nodded.

Then, with a joyful voice, I chirped, “But look! Flowers!” And I gestured as if doing a magic trick. She smiled and looked at the flowers, perhaps seeing them for the first time. Then I said, “We all have tough days, but flowers help.”

“True. They do,” she said. I looked up at her carer, perhaps her daughter, and she smiled back from behind watery eyes.

“They are free to look at.” I said, quietly, “Spend as long as you like.” She did. And then she looked back at the seat of her walker and continued shuffling through her day, hopefully a little happier having been with a Jesus follower and His flowers.

Today, I’m thinking about my daughter, the wedding florist, and how she shapes each flower. And, I can’t help but think, isn’t this the work of every Jesus follower? We meet people every day, and in conversation, with time and care, we shape them lovingly in the beautiful image of their Maker.