Article May 4, 2020 Issue

Be a sunflower—follow the light

Lee Brother

“Keep your face to the sunshine, and you cannot see the shadow. It’s what sunflowers do.” This statement, which has been attributed to Helen Keller, shows remarkable insight.

Sunflowers are known to turn their faces toward the sun and follow it from east to west over the course of the day. Even on the darkest days, sunflowers will follow the sun as it shines through the cloud cover, because sunlight supports their development. To me, this is a perfect illustration of how we can expect to receive wonderful blessings when we turn to God’s continuous, healing light, even when confronted by difficult situations.

The Bible uses the imagery of light as a symbol for God. For example: “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalms 27:1). And Mary Baker Eddy voices this idea in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “The sun, giving light and heat to the earth, is a figure of divine Life and Love, enlightening and sustaining the universe” (p. 538).