ON 4/1/2020:
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s he makes me tread on my high places.” Habakkuk 3:17-19
These are surely uncertain days. Our lifetime has never seen any such thing as this thing that is shutting down the whole world. Am I the only one who feels like I’m losing track of time and not really sure what comes next? What day is it? You would never have made me believe two and a half weeks ago when schools started closing that it would go this long much less the possibility for another month ahead. But God knows. The other day when I was out taking my walk I saw this azalea blooming in the edge of the woods. No house, it did not look like anyone had planted it there but there it was just peeking out at me. I had just asked God to show me something beautiful a few minutes before. And then as walking I looked to my left and there it was. I had to stop and take a picture. You see even in the mess. Even in the scariness of not knowing where and who this virus will hit next. Even among people I know who are losing jobs and worrying where they will get the money to pay their bills. Even with the doctors and the nurses who are on the front lines of this new war we are in, who are worrying about bringing this thing home to their families. Even with the teachers who are figuring out a new way to teach and the students who are figuring out a new way to learn. In all of this. The world is still turning. Spring is here. Flowers are still blooming. A new day will come and THIS WILL PASS. I want to try to find God in every day. I want to take joy in Him even in the scary and the uncertain. I see this azalea and the springtime as Hope. Hope for a new day. I’m grateful for these little reminders. My anxious heart needs them. I heard someone say the other day “nature is not afraid”. I found hope in that…… Ask God to show you something beautiful today.
Today:
Well, nature is still not afraid. Here we are a year later. I personally had a lot more than a virus last year to make me feel anxious and like I was on shaky ground and that was sort of scary. When I think of the last year, I think of things that we went though as a country. We went through a hurricane season like no other this past year. My little corner of the world saw many tornadoes not too far away. In fact, a couple of them, came a little too close for my comfort. The economy is trying to recover from the last year but it’s got a long way to go. Turn on the news for a while, they aren’t just talking about the virus but there are lots of things that are threatening our lifestyles and our freedoms. It’s like the whole world has gone crazy. And these things are just the outward things that seem big and scary and threatening to our way of life. I know personally I had things too that made me feel like I was walking on shaky ground and like I may not survive unscathed. I’m sure you did too. But even though this past year while, yes in so many ways has been so very hard and scary, here we are again, with Spring springing forth, the flowers are blooming, the trees are putting on their leaves again, the pollen is thick the world is still turning. Please take hope in that. I am choosing to. I am going to ask God to show me something beautiful again today and even though we are still fighting a virus and storms are still coming;
“yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength.” (vv18-19a)
Ask Him to show you something beautiful today too!
Restore 