$3 Flowers

So, the other day, I was driving to get groceries and saw a man that I recognized on the side of the road selling flowers. He was a dad who had been through a parent empowerment program in the city and I recognized his two 3 year old twins right by him holding up a cardboard box sign that said, "Flowers....$3." I pulled over and walked over and sure enough...it was the guy. I greeted him with a handshake and he proceeded to tell me a story about his life. He said that he was in prison for 17 years and then got out and wanted to change his life and be a great dad to his boys. He gained custody of his kids, got into a parent empowerment program, and started to exercise and got a job. What struck me about this man was that he was so humble. He then said, "I tell my boys every morning that I love them. I think that if you do that with kids, it can change the world. I take my boys out here to teach them that it's important to work and that they can meet all kinds of interesting people. I want to write a book about all that I have been through and how God has helped me be the dad I am today." Well, I was so blessed hearing this story as I watched the little boys hold up the sign by their little plastic red wagon where the flowers were. These were Trader Joes flowers that were way too overpriced that the store had thrown out and this man 'rescued.'
As I sat there that day on the bus stop bench, watching people come by and smile as they talked with the little boys and bought flowers, I thought to myself, "How amazing is this...to bring beauty to an area of brokenness through a simple thing like selling flowers" and it made me think of the beauty of the pain of what this man had been through and how he was not ashamed to share his pain, thereby bringing light into the lives of others!

Let your light shine before all men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven! Matthew 5:16