ONLY A MORNING GLORY by Mrs. Luella Baker Priddy

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 1, 1902

ONLY A MORNING GLORY.

By Mrs. Luella Baker Priddy

No one but a child would have thought of having a morning glory for a house plant. But she has not learned that things that come from far away, and cost a good deal, are worth more than things that are near by, even tho the near-by things are just as pretty. But such ignorance is no loss to her.

Little Eva planted a morning-glory seed in a tomato can, and set it in the kitchen window. And it grew and grew, asking no favors of any one, except an occasional drink of water, and plenty of string to cling to.

That little vine won its way into our hearts, as we had an opportunity to become acquainted with its attractions. It looked really pretty, with its bright green leaves, and pink blossoms against the white curtain. It was something refreshing, to have your flowers brand-new every morning. Then on cloudy days, when it was dull outside, it staid in bloom the longer.

That morning glory got to be a thing of interest for the whole family. There was quite a rivalry as to who would be the first to see the new blossoms in the morning.

It was not that this one was better than other morning glories. There were others out of doors. I ran across one the other day, trailing on the ground by an old stump. Poor stunted plant! I should not have noticed it but for its rich purple blossom that smiled up at me from the grass. I am not sure but it would have been prettier than the pink one in my window, if it had had a little care.

How very much like people, I thought. Here is my neighbor across the way. I love her because of her many kind ways that I see day by day.

Then there is that other neighbor back in the alley. She does not appear to have so many outward attractions as some others. Perhaps, like the purple morning glory that grew among the grass and weeds, she never had half a chance. Shall I pass her by? Then there is another neighbor up on the hill, on whom I have neglected to call. I might see much in her to love, if I only knew her. Why not call on her this very day?

One morning I went to my window to see how many blossoms there were that day. I discovered that one of the buds had not opened. On investigation, I found that the end of the bud had grown through a mesh in the window curtain. It was only the work of a moment to push back the curtain, and liberate the bud, when to my wondering eyes a strange sight met my view.

God opened that flower just as quickly as I could have opened an umbrella. I felt as if in the presence of an unseen power, as that bud unfolded without visible help, and became a perfect flower. I thought, Why had not that flower opened before? and what would have happened if I had not come to its rescue? The Lord has put into every bud enough of His divine power to enable it to develop into a perfect flower, under right conditions. He does not waste His power. If there had been a bit more force in the bud, it would either have torn itself in its efforts to bloom, or torn my curtain. But no such thing happened, altho the time had passed when it should have opened.

Quite like ourselves, I thought. Our Heavenly Father endows the human organism with sufficient force to preserve it in health, if we do not interfere with His plans.

But we can obstruct the life-current in our veins by improper clothing, and derange it by wrong habits of diet, and we can cause our bones to grow out of shape, by habitually assuming incorrect attitudes. All the time the Lord patiently waits, altho He is longing to give us health and happiness.

When we place ourselves in right relation to God, and live in harmony with the laws He has established, we are surprised at the marvelous restoration to health that we sometimes see. But it is just what He is waiting to do all the time.

So this little vine kept talking to me all summer of the goodness and power of our Heavenly Father.

The autumn came, and the curtain had to be taken down to be washed. I was obliged to cut off a part of the vine because it had grown through the curtain. The severed branch did not wither for a number of days. The next morning a perfect flower came out. But every day the blossoms grew smaller, and no seed matured. It was like many Christians, who blossom out fairly well, giving promise of usefulness, but who never reach the fruit-bearing stage, because they do not abide in the True Vine.

The humblest flower has its lesson to teach, if we attune our ears to hear its still, small voice.

MRS. LUELLA BAKER PRIDDY.

Lindsay, Ontario.