Anyone for Coffee?

  I was driving the other morning, and saw these flowers blooming alongside the roads everywhere.  They didn’t seem to mind how fertile the soil was, as in some places they were the only plant thriving.  I enjoyed the view all the way to my destination, when suddenly their name rang out from some deep recesses of my memory.

My mother can take one look at what most of us would deem a worthless weed, pretty or not, and identify it as well as explain its benefits.  Whether it could be used as medicine, herbal tea, salad green, or poultice ingredient, she seems to have a botanical encyclopedia stored in her mind.  I remember her trying to pass on much of that knowledge when I was a child, but most of what she tried to teach me has been lost through the passage of time and lack of use.  Do you remember verb conjugation from Spanish or French class in high school?  Me, either.  But somehow, without even trying to recall it, I knew the name of those pale blue flowers blooming everywhere.

Isn’t God’s Word like that sometimes?  We spend time memorizing it, and then a few months later forget that we even spent time working on it.  But something will happen, and the Holy Spirit will bring that verse back to life again, showing us how it applies to our current situation.  It may be a word of encouragement, discipline, or guidance, but He will remind us of just the right word in just the right season.  Of course it helps if we spend time getting to know that Word in the first place!

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11).

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26).

Spend time in the Word of God, and increase your heart’s storage space.  Work on memorizing what speaks to you.  When the Holy Spirit reminds you of something, pray and ask for his guidance, and then act on it!

Okay, I know you’ve been waiting for an answer.  This plant is Chicory.  Now for just a few interesting facts!  Each flower only blooms once.  The flowers open in the morning, and close by noon, never to reopen.  (I tried to find it to take pictures that same afternoon, and they were all gone!  It made me question my sanity just a bit…)  Chicory leaves can be used for salad greens, and the roots can be baked and ground up for use as a coffee substitute (desperate measures for much more desperate times).

When you see chicory blooming by the side of the road, what will you think of now?