tulip lessons ...

The Dutch have a thing about tulips. The tulip isn't native to the Netherlands; it was a 16th century import from Turkey by way of Austria. Wherever the tulip began, it has become the singular floral symbol of the Dutch. One of the very neat things about the tulip is that it is most visible when Spring arrives. Along with daffodils, tulips are a key part of springtime in Rehoboth. Yesterday, I spotted a small tulip garden by the side of the road and had the good fortune of travelling with my camera. You can see the result of that encounter.

For all of the charm of the tulip, there is a part of its history that we are re-visiting. In the 1630's the Dutch developed a "tulip mania" and a highly speculative futures market in tulip bulbs developed. A "tulip bubble" inflated the prices of highly prized tulips to the point where in 1635 a sale of 40 tulip bulbs was recorded for some 100,000 florins. For reference, a skilled laborer would earn 150 florins a year and a ton of butter would sell for 100 florins. The Dutch called this the "wind trade." In February of 1637, the bubble broke and the prices of tulips crashed. Many speculators were ruined and the "tulip bubble" entered our financial language as an object lesson in the dangers of speculation. I will leave it to you to make the connections between the real estate and stock prices over the last few years, but it's pretty hard not to see the shadow of a tulip hanging over dot coms, IPO's, condos and mortgage backed securities.

When the Dutch forgot that the tulip is just a lovely flower, they set themselves up for great pain. When we treasure things beyond their real value, the price is always too high and the cost is greater than anyone ever anticipated. Where do we find a way to understand real value?

Jesus answered that with this compelling question ... What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26) That question contains the real answer about value -- nothing we can gain in this world outweighs eternity with the Lord.

Once we understand that we are just passing through, it must change our priorities. Jesus challenges us to understand that what we possess is just for a moment and it's not all about us ...

As you look at the tulips over the next few weeks -- they will be gone soon -- remember to stop, enjoy their fragrance, enjoy their beauty, and remember a time when a tulip bulb sold for more than a man earned in a year. We can speculate on today's mania, or we can invest in eternity.

Keep the faith!