Scripture Sunday ~ Giving Back

The other day I was thinking about all the lovely flower photos I have pinned on Pinterest and how they cheer and give sunshine to my soul in the midst of a cold and snowy winter.  I suddenly realized that the sunshine they receive while they are growing they freely give back when they bloom.  

 images via Vicki Horton, Moonlight Rainbow, and hepsylone    I was awed by their giving, which brought to mind this verse from the Beatitudes,  "Give, and it shall be given unto you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you again." Luke 6:38  

images via Cowparsley and Victoria Station   As I pondered this verse and the example of the flowers which give so freely, I stopped to examine my own life and asked myself and God, "How can I give more freely?"  Not to get back (although the verse does promise that), but because so much has already been given to me.  How can I give my life away to God and to others is the question I am challenging myself with today.  

images viaVictoria Station, Au pays des merveilles, and flickr   I hope that these beautiful flower photos so beautifully given via Pinterest bring sunshine to your soul on this snowy February Sunday morning.  ~ Linking with    The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays