Dense Blazing Star

This liatris spicata, sometimes called dense blazing star or gay prairie feather, I found growing in our chapel grounds in the early autumn. A native of North America, a place to which its third name hints, it was used by the Cherokee tribes as a painkiller. I cannot vouch for its effectiveness, but it certainly looked pretty as it swayed to and fro in the gentle breezes.

Being a Christian does not extinguish or lessen life’s pain. We grieve like others, we weep like the rest, we mourn with those who mourn. The sufferings of life to which all are subjected is our inheritance too; from it, our God offers little exemption. Yet we know that there is a meaning to it, there is something good that comes from pain. The unbeliever, especially the atheist, has no answer or explanation for suffering, and can only muster an unconvincing shrug. We Christians may not appreciate pain, much less enjoy it, but we know that

…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

And

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4, New King James Version