A Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch
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When I was young, I liked to visit an aunt and uncle who had songs I played on their record player. One of the songs was “I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch.”
The Petunia was a pretty flower that smelled good, but it was surrounded by onions that are not pretty like flowers and do not smell good. The song illustrated a person who was completely different from the people around him.
In many ways, Christians are petunias in an onion patch. Consider some lessons we can learn.
Scriptures Show God’s People Should Be Different from the World.
We are different, not because we enjoy being different, but because Christians have a fundamentally different nature from the world.
Romans 12:2 – Do not conform to the world, but be transformed.
Christians do not practice things just because they are fashionable in the world. We are non-conformists. We are different because we think differently (we have a renewed mind).
Matthew 7:13,14 – Only a few people are on the road to eternal life.
If you want to on the road to eternal life, you must be willing to be in the minority.
Bible Examples Show God’s People Should Be Different.
Noah – Genesis 6:5-9
Man’s wickedness was great and the thoughts of his heart were evil continually, but Noah was righteous. Noah was a petunia in an onion patch.
Moses – Hebrews 11:24-26
Moses lived among Egyptians, yet he was a Hebrew physically and spiritually. He chose not to be like Egyptians. Moses was a petunia in an onion patch.
Daniel and 3 Hebrew youths – Daniel 1,3,&6
These young men lived among the Babylonians; but they were Hebrews. Despite pressures, they refused to practice error. Daniel and his friends were petunias in an onion patch.
To Receive an Eternal Reward We Must Be Willing to Be Different.
Luke 6:22,23 - When we are persecuted, we can rejoice because we have a great reward in heaven. We cannot receive the reward unless we are different. Understanding that helps us endure hardships.
Hebrews 10:32-35 - Opposition may tempt us to cast off the faith that makes us different. Instead, we should maintain our faith and look for the recompense of reward. In the end, being different is worth it.
We Can Choose to Conform to the World or to Be Different.
Petunias and onions have no choice about what they are, but God gives us a choice.
We may choose to be a child of God or a child of the world. If we choose to live like the world, it may seem easier now, but in the end it is not worth it. If we choose to live for God, we will have hardships in this life, but we will receive an eternal reward.
Many people would like to compromise: half petunia and half onion.
But God made no such plant and will not allow it in religion. You cannot live like the world and be rewarded like a Christian.
If you think like the world, live like the world, dress like the world, and talk like the world, you may call yourself a Christian, but you will receive the world’s reward. To receive a Christian’s reward, you must live like a Christian and let the world mock you. But in the end it’s worth it.
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2025; gospelway.com
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