MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS

We have all witnessed the short blooming time for the lovely spring magnolia bush.  The entire life cycle of a blossom is only a few days with the entire bloom time for the plant being a short 1-2 weeks.  Its life is so short: a mere breath, a puff of smoke.

"I was pondering [the life cycle of a magnolia blossom] for a while today. What seemed so strong and beautiful was only a few days later fodder for death, decay, and insects. In addition, what was presented so starkly to me in the story of the magnolia is something that is repeated in our human body and our short lives. Most of us live more than 4 days, but to God, our life is a mere vapor, a mist.", mused Elizabeth Prata in her blog post from May 27, 2014 entitled The short, beautiful life of a magnolia blossom.

"You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." - James 4:14

The blog post then went on to ask a question that is well worth pondering:  What are you going to do with the time afforded you on your short time on earth?

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