A Fourth Sister Faces East

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows follow behind you."  ~ Maori Proverb

This morning as I drove a different road to the entrance of the college where I work, I was greeted by a reception line of sunflowers.  They stood at attention facing the east and formed a wall between the road and the field behind.  My time at the college has come full circle; I will be pursuing another dream soon and I told my co-worker that one thing I will really miss is driving in every morning and seeing each new surprise that God has for me in the landscape that surrounds.  I started reading about sunflowers and found out that it is a myth that their faces follow the sun.  The article I read said the mature heads typically face the east (which I witnessed this morning) and do not move.  The leaves and buds of young sunflowers do exhibit a process called heliotropism (sun turning) and their orientation changes from east to west during the course of a day.  The movements become a circadian response and when plants are rotated 180 degrees, the old response pattern is still followed for a few days, with leaf orientation changing from west to east instead.  The leaf and flower head bud phototropism occurs while the leaf petioles and stems are still actively growing, but once mature, the movements stop. These movements involve the petioles bending or twisting during the day then unbending or untwisting at night.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower). 

It is believed that sunflowers were domesticated first in present day Mexico.  Traditionally, several Native American groups planted sunflowers on the north edges of their gardens as a "fourth sister" to the better known three sisters combination of corn, beans, and squash.  The modern day concept of the "Three Sisters" is referred to as companion planting.  Companion plants are where two or more different type plants are planted in close proximity to each other and this way the plants benefits each other in some way.  In modern times, sunflowers are grown and harvested for their seeds that are sold as snack foods and processed for cooking oil, among other uses.

I was somewhat disappointed with this sunflower news because I have always loved the idea that sunflower faces followed the sun.  God always has a lesson for me with His surprises.  He gave me the impression that we are very much like the sunflowers in that while we are young and growing in our faith, we search for the “Son” (Jesus) in many different directions.  We twist and turn and run to and fro to find the light of truth.  As we mature and become more stable in our faith, we realize that all we have to do is believe, stand strong, bear fruit (fruits of the Spirit), and watch for our Savior. 

So, like the sunflower, let us stand strong, stay vigilant, and keep our faces to the East, for that is where the Son of Man will return to collect His own.

"For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." —Matthew 24:27