Triple Trilliums

My husband recently cleared dead trees from our rocky woodlot.

As he drove the tractor over the shallow soil, he uncovered three white trillium plants. I knew they had no hope of life if they remained there among the roots and loose soil, so I carried the plants home. I looked for the perfect spot to plant them and found it in a partially shaded area. No other plants would interfere with these delicate trillium bulbs there.

Then, with all the love and care I could muster, I gave these three treasures the best chance I could for a future life. That was several years ago.

Last spring two groups of trilliums were blooming in the front yard. This year I was surprised to see three groups. I knew I had planted only one little grouping.

Now I was rewarded with nine beautiful blooms.

I remembered these multiplied trillium blooms recently when I heard a program on the radio where a naturalist explained how trilliums manage to spread through whole woodlots. I was amazed. As I listened to the naturalist, I thought of King Solomon’s counsel to consider the ants (Proverbs 6:6) for their lessons of industry.

You see, it seems that I owed my two new patches of trilliums to ants! When trilliums seed after blooming, ants collect the seeds, putting them in little soil storerooms. There, the ants munch on the seeds’ gel coating but discard the seeds.

So, when the spring sun warms the soil, the seeds sprout and grow new bulbs, though they will not bloom for a couple of years. It is like that with our faith. A little gem of Scripture rests in the mind for hours or sometimes days before we can fully absorb its meaning. Then, suddenly, we understand what God is telling us through the “seeds” of Bible truth He has planted. As we share these treasures with others, our lives are enriched.

These trilliums remind me that before Jesus came into my life, I, too, was lost on a rocky hillside. My pain and emptiness covered me just like the gel covered those little trillium seeds. Without someone to clear that away and plant me in just the right spot, I would never have sprouted and bloomed into the contented Christian I am today.

I can thank the “ants” of change for the future hope that I have today.

I pray that my life will cause other little seeds of Christian growth around me to sprout and grow as well.

Patricia Cove