We have these two Rose of Sharon(s) blooming in full view looking out our kitchen window. So we look at them often. They are beautiful in their own right, but I can’t help being reminded to live every moment of my life with the beauty of Christ’s love, grace, and mercy every time I look at them. That prompt comes from a song we sang years ago, “Daystar.” The first stanza is a prayer addressed to Jesus:

“Lily of the Valley, let your sweet aroma fill my life…

Rose of Sharon, show me how to grow in beauty in God’s sight…

Fairest of ten thousand, make me a reflection of your light…

Daystar, shine down on me let your love shine through me in the night.”

These floral references [Lily of the Valley, Rose of Sharon] come from the Shulamite’s humble description of herself in Song of Solomon 2.1: “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Actually, I think they were probably a little self-deprecating. Although the Rose of Sharon [whatever it was specifically in their context] was a beautiful flower, it was, after all a common one. It grew plentifully ‘in the wild’ – where God Himself planted, watered, and cultivated it. Yes, naturally pretty to look at, but nothing really ‘special,’ extraordinary, or exotic about it at all. Just God’s beautiful ‘ground cover’ for their parts of the world.

But, though she describes herself in this common, ordinary way, her Beloved responds by elevating her worth – reminding her that ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.’ “Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.”

The beauty of every flower, every bloom, regardless of how common, ordinary, or plentiful (or even ‘wild’) it may be, is a reflection of God’s own beauty – and He created its beauty to show Himself through it. It is a gift of God’s ‘common grace’ and Providence. So am I. So are we as God’s image-bearers.

That’s why, when I rehearse those words, “Rose of Sharon, show me how to grow in beauty in God’s sight,” I am inspired again to “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me” [a line from another old Gospel song]. I want my life to display the beauty of Jesus before everyone who sees and knows me as a reflection, not just of God’s ‘common’ grace, but more, as a living testimony to the beauty of Jesus’ redemptive ‘new creation’ grace.

And so, the chorus to the verse featuring the Lily of the Valley, Rose of Sharon, and the Daystar offers this testimony for God to display His new creation beauty of Jesus’ grace in my life:

“Lead me Lord, I’ll follow. Anywhere you open up the door…
Let your word speak to me, show me what I’ve never seen before.
Lord, I want to be your witness, you can take what’s wrong and make it right…
Daystar, shine down on me, let your love shine through me in the night.”

Even though I [and we all] display the evidences of my own common personal weaknesses, flaws, brokennesses, deficiencies, et. al., Jesus Christ can also shine through all those with His own redemptive grace. That’s how my Rose of Sharon(s) remind and inspire me to pray: “Rose of Sharon, show me how to grow in beauty in God’s sight.”