Flowers in bloom are lovely, but it’s hard to beat the symmetry of what has yet to open up. The structure of it, compacting into such a small, circular space what will soon unfold into something so much more noticeable to passersby.

Some see in this unfolding the evolutionary genius of the plant – a plant attracting what it needs to survive and thrive by flowering. Some see it in terms of aesthetics – beauty that is valuable for its own sake rather than for survival beyond its individual life span.

I’m not anxious to choose one perspective over the other, whether it’s the life of this plant, my own, or all the life this cosmos bears. Just because our lives foster the next generation doesn’t mean that they can be reduced to a means to a biological end. And just because our lives are an expression of beauty and uniqueness doesn’t mean that they aren’t leading to life beyond our own brief span of years.

Maybe Jesus wanted us to find more than one meaning in telling us to consider the lilies.