“Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.” Romans 12:12
Colorful handmade items greeted attendees of the "Cabin Fever Annual Arts and Crafts Show”. “I am so ready for spring,” a woman next to me commented, looking longingly at an arrangement of artificial daffodils and forsythia.
“Me, too! I murmured. Encumbered by my winter jacket, I awkwardly reached for a cake of homemade soap with delicate yellow flecks. As I inhaled the scent of honeysuckle, wistful memories of sitting with my grandmother on her vine-covered front porch flooded my mind.
When I returned home, I trudged out to the mailbox. A bright spot near the edge of the porch caught my eye. Pulling my sweatshirt tightly around me, I walked over for a closer look. Poking their way up through the dried matted grass and brittle brown oak leaves, were tiny yellow buds. Hurrying back across the porch, I pulled the door open. “Dick!” I shouted. “Come see what I found.”
Convinced I must have discovered buried treasure, Dick rushed out and joined me. When I pointed to the ground, he knelt for a closer look and a huge smile spread across his face. “The Aconites are coming up!”
Despite months of freezing cold temperatures and lack of sunlight, these bright yellow flowers had not only survived, but thrived! Their fleshy roots had stored the moisture and food they needed for their growth and hibernation over the winter, allowing them to break forth as the weather warmed up.
In that moment God reminded me that, we, like those little buds of hope springing new just outside our door, can have hope, even when faced with repressive circumstances and seemingly lifeless relationships. How? By placing our faith in Him. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that with faith, we can have confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
If we bury ourselves in God’s Word and cover situations with prayer, our faith will grow. We will be able to trust that God is at work. We will begin to see the signs of His handiwork, despite difficult times in our lives—like tiny buds of bright yellow poking up through winter’s detritus. We really will find buried treasure!
Be encouraged!
