The broken sunflower

by | Aug 30, 2024 | Blog | 0 comments

A few years ago, during a brief but fierce wind storm, a sunflower in my backyard broke. I went out after the wind died down to survey my trees for damage and noticed that the plant, which had been 3 feet tall, was flattened. I left it in the garden rather than dropping it into the compost, busy with a work deadline. I was sad about the sunflower and annoyed at the wind. 

A few days later, I noticed that the sunflower wasn’t dead. In fact, it had lifted its head about 5 inches off the ground, seeking the sun. 

I was astonished and paused to examine the stalk. At first glance the plant seemed to be completely broken. I noticed that a very thin thread of stalk was unbroken. This small thread of life was pulling nourishment from the soil, through the now-horizontal stalk, to the head of the sunflower plant. 

I eagerly awaited a blossom on this resilient sunflower. Would the thin thread of life be enough to sustain a bloom?  

I couldn’t get the image of the broken but resilient sunflower out of my head as I took my daily walk.  

The broken sunflower was not defined by its brokenness. 

The broken sunflower did what sunflowers do: it lifted its head toward the sun. 

The broken sunflower’s identity was as a sunflower, not as a broken plant. It was a sunflower that had experienced brokenness. 

Tears came to my eyes as my thoughts coalesced. 

My identity is as a child of God. My brokenness doesn’t have to define me, although it can if I let it. 

I am a child of God, and I experience loneliness. 

I am a child of God, and at times I struggle with physical issues. 

I am a child of God, and I have lived through the grief of losses. 

I lift my head toward the Son because that’s what a child of God does. And I live on, held by the thread of life. 

I was reminded of the life lesson from the broken sunflower because this week I found another broken sunflower in my garden. And its face is turned toward the sun. I’m cheering on another broken sunflower and reflecting on how I still need the reminder that my brokenness isn’t my identity. 

What about for you? Do circumstances and brokenness sometimes cloud your sense of identity? How can you turn your face toward God, even in the midst of circumstances? As we’ve been reminded this summer on The Path – the God of beauty, abundance, mercy, comfort, and more shines on our brokenness.

Carla Foote