Iris' and Forgiveness

What do iris' and forgiveness have in common?

That is what I was hoping you would ask. We have two large beds of iris' flowers in front of our house. As the flowers bloom and then fade, I take the time to cut the dead flowers off the stalks to help the flowers look nice. I have done this several times now. A couple days ago, when I was cutting the dead flowers again, I had a thought. I noticed that every time I would cut off a dead flower, that there was a second flower that was just starting to grow up behind to take the first flower's place. It was interesting. I had to use care to cut the dead flowers so I didn't cut the new, young, tender buds that were growing.

As I thought about this I couldn't help but think about how much this is like repentance. When we are able to cut away the dead flowers (our sin), there is a new bud waiting to bloom. How true this is. What an amazing plan the Plan of Salvation is! Our savior is ready to cut away our sin and let the new bud blossom into forgiveness.

How grateful I am for the knowledge that I can be forgiven for my struggles and errors. You can be too! Take the steps. It's worth it.