Sunflowers
Captured by Mitchell Royel, 2025
As we step into 2026, we’re discovering that sunflowers are more than just pretty faces in a field. They’re living, breathing metaphors for our spiritual journey. Picture this: a sunflower, relentlessly turning its face toward the light, refusing to be defined by the shadows.
There’s this wild, almost unknown scripture tucked away in the apocryphal text of Wisdom of Solomon 7:29 that whispers, “She is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the constellations of the stars.” We’re reading this and thinking - just like these sunflowers, we’re called to something beyond the ordinary.
Here’s the real talk: Sunflowers don’t just exist; they pursue light. They literally track the sun’s movement, a practice called heliotropism. And isn’t that exactly how we’re called to live? Constantly realigning, constantly pursuing something greater.
We’re learning that:
Our worth isn’t determined by our perfect performance
Growth happens when we’re willing to turn toward the light
Vulnerability is our greatest strength
Those traditional ideas about spirituality? We’re reimagining them. Just like a sunflower breaks through concrete, we’re breaking through limiting beliefs.
“When the world feels overwhelming, when comparison tries to steal your joy - breathe. You are a sunflower in a world of shadows, always turning toward light.”
Sunflowers aren’t just beautiful - they’re practical. They clean soil, feed wildlife, provide nutrition. They’re a metaphor for holistic living: beautiful, purposeful, interconnected.
Where are you not turning toward your light?
What concrete are you ready to break through?
How can you be more like a sunflower today?
As we move into this new year, we’re not just observing sunflowers. We’re becoming them. Resilient. Purposeful. Unapologetically turning toward what gives us life.
Stay curious. Stay humble. Stay connected.
Your fellow sunflower traveler,
-Mitchell Royel