Wildflowers: Week Two | Euodia & Syntyche the ThistlesExemplo

Hearts and Minds

Being half red and half blue, thistles are most often the color purple. It's fun to imagine that Euodia and Syntyche together would make something unique. Sure they had their own identities but blending would be beautiful. Psychologists and experts study the effect of color on people. One recognized color expert said that "purple both calms and stimulates our bodies, putting us in the right place for introspection and focused insight. It fosters creativity by awakening our senses while promoting the quiet necessary to make intuitive, insightful observations. Purple creates a harmonious balance of awareness and peace." 

Perhaps Euodia tended toward a red-hot temper and Syntyche suffered from the blues. But together they created harmony like the color purple represents. Jesus is the binding agent. Peace is not the absence of trouble but the presence of the Lord. Jesus promised, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27, NIV).

Shepherds will tell you there is nothing that settles a flock more than the presence of a shepherd. Skittish, anxiety ridden, squabbling sheep will find rest and peace as long as the shepherd is in the field. What is true among sheep is also true among God's people. When the Great Shepherd is in our midst, division is set aside and unity is restored. Is there turmoil in your heart? Are there people who cause distress in your life? Won't you run to Jesus to find peace that is indescribable?

Read the verse below and answer the following questions:

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7).

Practical Observation

1. Where did Paul say peace can be found?

Peace of God is different from peace with God. You cannot have peace with God by human effort. We find peace with God at salvation when we cease being His enemy and become His own dear children. The peace of God is a free will choice to receive the gift of peace that only God can give. It comes when we trust what Jesus has done in us and for us.

2. How is this peace different from any peace the world has to offer?

3. What part of you will God's peace impact?

4. What word describes how this peace works?

Guard means what you think it means: to protect. When Paul said that God's peace would guard your heart and mind, he meant that it would protect you from thoughts from the Evil One and your own fallen nature. God's peace is the garrison around your heart and mind.

5. Who is the vehicle to ensure this peace?

Personal Application

a. How does the world's definition of peace differ from the Bible's?

b. Paul taught about a peace that "surpasses all understanding." Have you experienced this kind of peace? Journal about a situation when you felt that peace.

c. Paul said that God's peace can guard your heart and mind. Why do you think these two battlefields are mentioned? How do you think the mind and the heart work in tandem?

Thistle

Thistle fierce and wild

Strong you grow

And spiky

What vital power

Too sharp to grasp

Roots buried deep

No soil to see

From patio and wall

You thrust

I must

In truth

Honour

Your mighty conquest

—Janey Colbourne

How to Grow a Thistle

Thistles are usually purple and grow between thirty-one to seventy-nine inches tall. Most of the foliage is covered with sharp spines, which protect them from herbivores. Most plants produce one or two flowers. They are hardy plants that grow well in fields, prairies, and forest edges.

• Light: Full sun

• Soil: Grows in any type of soil

• Spacing: Twenty-four to thirty-six inches and one-fourth to half an inch deep

• Planting: Best during late spring to midsummer