Tag Archives: pandemic

The Zinnia Fields

The Father seems to speak to my heart often through His creation.  It has especially loud over the last several months.  This was no exception.

We visited a lovely zinnia field at a local orchard the other day.  The field was awash with colors beyond imagination.  As the flowers softly danced in the gentle breeze, some lovely little creatures visited them.

Hummingbirds, bumblebees and a plethora of butterflies flitted back and forth from flower to flower with not a care in the world.  Little did they know that there was craziness in our world.  Their goal was simply to gather nectar and enjoy their flights!

 

I tried to capture several pictures and as my husband and I walked along the paths; we noticed something at the end of the field that we could not see from the very beginning.  It was another field.  Brown and barren mostly.

But…

We watched a butterfly make its way out of the abundance of flowers and head toward the what appeared to be an empty field.  We followed it.

And then we saw them……

Amongst all the brown and dusty soil there appeared many zinnias.  There was not a field of them, but a dotting of sorts, like a polka dotted tablecloth set for a picnic.

And the butterfly knew the field had value.  

The fields were right next to one another.  It reminded me of the pandemic. 

Scarred, barren, left alone, confused, misunderstood….

The flowers were separated from their kin, lonely and looked as though they had no job.

And yet.

They were thriving.  They had value.  Their life was important.  They were cheerful.  They were still focused on their purpose.

Like us.

Now.

I was reminded of the scripture where Jesus shared about the birds and the lillies of the field.

How can we ever doubt His love for us?

Even when the field looks hopeless.

~Be Encouraged Today

Tammy

Abiding Joy! Really?!?!

celebration-19545_640

Abiding Joy? Really?!?

Private worlds are swirling with circumstances that defy explanation. And we can add Covid-19 to the mix .

The world as we know it fills the evening news with disheartening news about the world wide pandemic and the ways in which it is affecting our nation.

We hurt for people we love, and those we don’t even know who are suffering.  We are all grieving.

Friends, Jesus tells us that if our joy is IN HIM it is complete!

But how in the world do you have ABIDING JOY in the midst of all this pain? Continue reading Abiding Joy! Really?!?!

My “Hope” Bush

We have lived in our home for over 34 years.  Watching our yard “grow” has been like watching our own children grow over those years.

Several years ago we experienced a “derecho” and along with many others in our area, lost trees, bushes and plants.

As we surveyed the mess, we had one little forsythia bush that was hanging on.  It looked awful. 

“Stop” I shouted over my husband’s trimmer.  “I think we can save it!” He honored my request.

Each passing spring, it looked like we should cut it down.  It just did not have much life in it.  We trimmed away the dead, as some neighborhood cats continued to target it as their personal potty home.

Yesterday was finally warm enough to get out of the house and in the yard as we “shelter in place” during this pandemic.  I walked around the yard and notices the day lilies, Easter flowers, crocus…all were peaking out to see if it was safe to emerge.

Then I saw it.  And I named it.  “The Hope Bush.”  What a strange comfort it brought me.  It was not perfect, it was tiny….but it was bloomed in the best form I had seen in years!  

Reminded me of our lives now.  It can look pretty bleak, it can feel like nothing will be the same, and it might not be.  We want to see our adult children, our grandchildren.  We may face a “new normal” that none of us will like.  

But the Father showed me a reminder of His comfort through this tiny little bush.

Don’t give up.

Stay focused on the peace that only the Father can give.  And if you don’t know that peace, hope and comfort…please allow Christ to become your Savior. He loves you.

We are in this together!

~Be Encouraged Today~

Tammy