Sunflowers
- Shelby Leigh Kizer

- Sep 22
- 1 min read

This year, my dad planted a field of sunflowers, and it has been such a joy to watch them bloom and grow. My girls and I have delighted in seeing their beauty unfold, and recently I learned that sunflowers turn to face the sun throughout the day.

That image of turning toward the light has stayed with me, especially as I’ve been teaching a weekly art lesson to Andi and ten of her friends. One week we painted sunflowers together, and I was so inspired by their bright, free, joy-filled creations that I decided to paint a few of my own.

Their childlike imagination reminded me of the words of Jesus: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

Not long after, I received a note from a sweet collector who shared this verse: “Those who look to the Lord are radiant; their faces will never be ashamed” (Psalm 34:5). These words feel like the heart of what sunflowers teach us—that faith, like the flowers, is radiant when it turns toward the true light of this world.

These paintings are a celebration of childlike faith and the joy of creativity. I pray they remind us, like to sunflowers, to always to turn toward the “Son,” who is the true Light of the World, so that we may be a reflection of His radiant light!

Here is a closer look at the sunflower paintings I created!








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