Refusing Flowering

Late this afternoon after a weed pulling session in the garden, I started out only to be stopped in my tracks by the grape vine as it stretched from one post to the other.  Small lime green leaves were starting to show themselves on the gnarled vine.  It is an old vine that has been heavy with fruit in years past.  So heavy has it been that the branch coming out of the ground is like a bent knee in a perpetual posture of prayer. I stood still and watched for a time.  Someone watching might have thought I was waiting for a leave to unfurl, or maybe, for grapes to appear.

As I stood in that still moment of evening quiet it occurred to me that the grape vine was just doing what it was supposed to do.  It was working toward its purpose.  It was working toward its purpose just like the purple iris going upward toward the sun and the nearby peach tree with its marble size peaches clustered on the limb.  A book I am reading ("The Soul's Slow Ripening" by Christine Valters Paintner) refers to a line of poetry written by David Whyte, "Why are we the one terrible part of creation privileged to refuse our own flowering?" 

Everything around us in the creation is moving toward fulfilling its purpose.  It may be slow, but it is certain.  Inevitable.  But, not so with us.  We, too, like the rest of creation have been put here with a purpose, but unlike the rest of the creation, we can choose something other than our created purpose.  Theologians call it free will.  As one of the ancient catechisms reminds us, we are here to bring glory to God.  It is a noble purpose indeed.  Unfortunately, we tend to choose other things.  As the poet put it, we often refuse our own flowering.