Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing.

The saying contrasts limited human perception with a divine, future-oriented vision. What looks like decay or loss (“withered leaves”) may, from God’s perspective, be the very ground from which renewal emerges (“sweet flowers growing”). The image draws on seasonal cycles—autumnal dying back preceding spring growth—to suggest providence, hope, and the hidden purposes of suffering. It encourages patience and faith when circumstances appear barren, implying that apparent endings can be preparations for new life. In a devotional register, it also humbles human judgment: our assessments are partial, while God’s sight encompasses what is becoming, not only what is fading.