The
past few weeks have brought an unusual number of pressures and
challenges to my wife and me. The latest is a family illness where the
unknowns bring significant emotional angst. We've also both been
traveling, much of it separately, and our physical reserves are pretty
low right now, too. Sleeping has been irregular and interrupted much of
the time.
Nonetheless, Jackie, upon returning home from her trip,
went to the store and bought some new little cacti to put out on the
balcony of our condo. She really didn't have time to re-pot them or
anything but planned to do that within a couple of days. Three of them
sat for a day or so just outside the door wall.
However, the next day, Jackie looked and each of them had bloomed
with a beautiful yellow flower. They brought tears to her eyes and a
lump in my throat later to realize that from the middle of those prickly
extensions came beauty that we had not seen before.
That was an important reminder that yes good can come from bad.
That the miraculous can rise from evil. That resurrection comes after
the burial. That joy can result from mourning. That life in God always
wins over death.
You, too, may be experiencing your own challenges these days. And
it's easy to only see and feel the sharp edges of them. The pain,
sadness and even feelings of despair can be overwhelming.
And picturing a potential flower won't remove the cactus but
it can help you deal with it better. It can assist you in coping, keep
you from remaining paralyzed and help you remember that God may be doing
something beautiful in and through your circumstances that you simply can't see. Keep watching for the flower.
Thanks, Gary for this - reminds me of The Perfect Plan that is always in place and at work in all our lives - there are times when these reminders are reeeeeaally needed. Be well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind and encouraging words!
ReplyDelete