I was listening to a bible study lecture last week where the speaker mentioned the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”. This really intrigued my interest and so I decided to do a bit of research. According to www.dictionary.com, the tall poppy syndrome is a tendency to begrudge, resent, or mock people of great success, talent, or status. Basically the tall poppy syndrome is…the more I succeed, the more people try to “cut me down”. The phrase “cutting down the tall poppy” is mostly used in Australia and New Zealand.

Personal Experience

I hadn’t realized but I’ve experienced the Tall Poppy Syndrome myself. I didn’t go to college mostly because my parents couldn’t afford it and the other was…I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up!!! I loved playing the piano and singing but I had no desire to become a music teacher. I couldn’t figure out what else I could do with a music degree and nothing else really interested me.

After playing for middle school and high school choirs for over 20 years, I actually had a director tell me that she wasn’t going to have me play a certain piece because “I didn’t have a college degree”. She definitely “cut me down” and made me feel so insecure and insignificant. It took me quite awhile to get over that comment.

Painting Poppies

I tried my hand at painting poppies. They look so easy but I really struggled getting them to look like a poppies and not just a red blob! I used oil pastels and watercolor and then finally I realized that I had a poppy stamp from Altenew and then…I got an actual looking poppy.

If you’d like to learn more about oil pastels I suggest that you take a class from Kelley Wynn Studios “The Magic of Oil Pastels”. I must warn you though…this technique is addicting! It’s so much fun blending the different colors together and creating art with a crayon-type medium.

Joseph and His Multicolored Coat

As I was studying Genesis 37 – 50, I realized that Joseph was just like the“tall” poppy that that got cut down by his brothers because they resented their father’s love for Joseph. You see his father had given him a multicolored coat and this made the brothers very resentful.

For this Bible journaling page, I decided to watercolor the background and then use acrylic paint on top. I found a photo of poppies on Pinterest, printed it out and then traced over the image and added a few things so that it wasn’t exactly like the photo. I just hand letter the title “What you meant for evil, God meant for good” which is actually from Genesis 50:19-20. I wanted the poppies on the page of Genesis 45:7-8 because this section talks about the reason that God allowed all the circumstances to happen in Joseph’s life.

If you have never read the story of Joseph and his brothers, I highly suggest that you read Genesis 37 – 50. It reads like a soap opera…a lot of drama, plots and deceit!

Growing Strong

I love poppies! I think it’s because of their bright red color. According to www.burpee.com “poppies are one of the prettiest flowers to grow in a garden. Poppies are best when they are grown from seed that is planted in fall or winter, even in cold winter areas. The seeds need to go through the natural freeze and thaw cycles to germinate and that is accomplished by fall sowing. The flower stalks are quite frail and can be damaged by spring storm winds and heavy rain. The protection of a shrub, wall or support hoop helps keep them safe from such damage.”

Isn’t that just like life. God plants us and then watches us grow into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ but it’s not without problems, heartaches and complications in our lives. God is our protector from the elements but this doesn’t mean that we are totally free from a freeze, the wind or other conditions. We must also endure the freeze and thaw cycles to grow and become a beautiful poppy.

I pray that you will let God support you when challenges of life just seem to cut you down. Stay strong in the Lord and let him help you grow in your Christian faith.