🐞 Miss Tillia's Garden 🌳 🌻 The Great Sunflower Race Sometimes growing up can feel like a race. Who is the fastest? Who is the smartest? Who gets picked first? But gardens grow differently. Some flowers bloom early. Some bloom late. And somehow, the garden still calls them all beautiful. “I won!” “No you didn’t!” “You cheated!” Three children tumbled into the garden arguing so loudly that all the butterflies flew away. Julia, one of the oldest children in the garden, listened as each one of the three explain why they were upset. Lisa crossed her arms. “Ben says he can grow the tallest sunflower in one week.” “I CAN,” Ben declared proudly. Milo snorted. “That’s impossible. Sunflowers take forever.” Ben pointed toward the garden. “Miss Tillia grows giant flowers. She knows how to do it and she can help me.” “Well now," Julia said, "it sounds like this garden needs a contest.” Julia said. The children instantly stopped arguing. “A contest?” they asked together. Julia nodded very seriously. “The Great Sunflower Race.” The children gasped. “Rules?” asked Ben. Julia held up one finger. “Each of you gets one seed.” A second finger. “You must care for it yourself.” A third finger. “And no yelling at the flowers.” Ben blinked. “People yell at flowers?” Julia slowly looked at him. Ben looked away. “...Maybe.” The children planted their seeds in three little pots near the garden fence. Ben watered his every hour. Lisa sang to hers. Milo measured the dirt every morning with a ruler for “scientific reasons.” The next day, Ben’s seed had not sprouted. He frowned at it. “Grow.” Nothing happened. Lisa’s had not sprouted either. She gently whispered, “Good morning, little sunflower.” Still nothing. Milo squinted at his pot. “According to my calculations, this is suspicious.” Julia chuckled from nearby. “Sometimes,” she said, “the best growing happens where you cannot see it.” On the third day, Lisa’s sunflower sprouted first. “AHA!” she cheered. Ben stared in horror. Milo adjusted his ruler dramatically. “Interesting.” Ben immediately dumped three buckets of water into his pot. Julia hurried over. “Mercy alive! Are you growing a sunflower or a swamp?” “I’m helping it grow faster!” By morning, Ben’s seed had become a soggy mess. “Oh no,” he whispered. He looked so heartbroken that even the garden seemed quieter. Julia knelt beside him. “You loved the idea of winning more than growing,” she said gently. Ben sniffed. “I ruined it.” Julia smiled and reached into her apron pocket. From inside, she pulled out another seed. “You know,” she whispered, “gardens are very familiar with second chances.” Ben carefully replanted the seed. This time, he watered it just enough. He sat quietly beside it instead of shouting at it. Sometimes he even talked to Lisa and Milo while they waited. Days passed. Lisa’s sunflower grew tall and bright. Milo’s grew thick and crooked like it couldn’t decide which direction to go. Ben’s was smaller than both. The final day of the contest arrived. The children stood beside their flowers proudly. “Well,” Julia announced, “it is time to choose a winner.” Ben sighed. “Lisa won.” “Obviously,” said Lisa with a grin. Julia walked slowly between the flowers. Then she stopped beside Ben’s tiny sunflower. “This one wins.” Everyone gasped. “What?!” cried Milo. “It’s the shortest!” Julia nodded. “Yes. But this sunflower grew something besides petals.” The children blinked. “It grew patience,” she said. Ben looked down quietly. “It grew kindness. It grew humility. And most importantly…” She smiled warmly at him. “It grew twice.” For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Lisa smiled. Milo shrugged. “That is scientifically impressive.” Julia handed Ben a tiny ribbon made from golden thread. Ben stared at it. “It’s beautiful.” Julia winked. “The best things usually are.” Just then, the crooked sunflower suddenly bent sideways and dumped a pile of seeds onto Milo’s shoes. The children burst into laughter. Even Julia laughed so hard she nearly lost her hat. And somewhere deep in the garden, the trees rustled happily as if they were laughing too. 🍃Not everything grows quickly. Not everything grows the same. Sometimes God is growing good things inside you that no one else can see yet. Galatians 6:9: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 🌻 #MissTillia #christianwriter #christianfiction #christianfantasy #stacyfrantz