Back in 1999 my wife and kids and I moved to Star City, Arkansas where I was to be the pastor of First United Methodist Church. We didn’t know anything about the town, weren’t too sure about living in such a small community, and weren’t certain that the people at the church would embrace this new young preacher who had never been on a farm, never shot a gun, never ridden a four-wheeler, never driven a truck, and never worn any camo!

Well, I’m happy to report that the people of Star City were some of the nicest, kindest, grace-filled people anyone could ever meet. I think they took it on as a challenge to “educate” the city boy, and I can tell you that when I left in 2004, I had done all the things on that list!

One of the things about small churches is that they love a good potluck. I personally have always been a little hesitant about them for a number of reasons. Number one, I tend to be a little picky, and it’s clear that all eyes are on the preacher at a church potluck to see if he took any of the food they brought. Number two, I’ve had food poisoning once in my life, and I know I never want that again, so all the “should-be-served-cold” food that has been sitting out for hours waiting on church to finish so we can eat just doesn’t have a lot of appeal to me. Number three, I’ve been to enough church members’ homes where the cats rule the house and climb up on the kitchen table to be suspect of anyone’s homemade item. Number four, Jello should never be mixed with anything – not fruit, not vegetables, not nuts, nothing. I like my Jello plain and out of a cup, just as nature intended.

So, the monthly potluck in Star City was always an adventure. However, one thing that sticks in my memory was the amazing floral arrangements on the tables. Early on in my ministry there I asked Ms. Betty and Ms. Virginia, the two ladies who got stuff done around there, where they got such beautiful flowers. Betty’s reply? “Oh those? Those are just ditch flowers.” She looked at me like I should have known that; I had never even heard of the term! Apparently “ditch flowers” are just that; flowers that grow in the ditches. These are not weeds like dandelions in your yard; these are beautiful flowers like orange daylilies, blueflag irises, or Queen Anne’s Lace (yes, I had to Google that). Who knew such beauty could come from the ditch?

The extraordinary found in the ordinary. Beauty found in the unexpected. No one plants them, no one fertilizes them, and most people drive by them without giving them a second glance. Yet there they are, beautiful gifts from God in the most unlikely place. This is what God does, He makes beauty out of ashes (Is. 61:3) and brings hope to the wilderness (Is. 35:1). Ditch flowers are a powerful reminder that God is at work in the most unlikely of places and in the most unlikely of people, and His grace meets us in life’s ditches. In our seasons of difficulty and uncertainty, God can take that soil and grow something beautiful. So, if that’s where you find yourself right now, the next time you see a ditch flower remember that no place is too barren, no life is too broken, no circumstance too hopeless for His grace to bring about His beauty in you!