Recently, I was driving home and on the way I looked out at the brown trees, the brown grass, the brown…there was not a sign of new spring life anywhere and it frustrated me. Did I mention that this winter has been long, very very long? My calendar said that spring was finally here but the weather had not gotten the memo and although I knew that eventually we would see some green popping up all over the place- at that moment, I was not seeing it. I want so badly to be like Paul who says in Philippians 4 that he has learned to be content in whatever situation he is in, whether in need or in plenty. Unlike Paul, I was not content. I was more like the grumpy cartoon character “Maxine” in both word and attitude.

God spoke to me that day.

As I got out of my car, He told me to take a picture of our woods. Ok God, I’ll do it but I don’t see the point. Then He told me to get closer and take another picture.  I was starting to feel a bit silly, and I was starting to wonder if I was really hearing Him correctly. Why was I standing outside taking pictures of dreary woods?  I’m losing it. I just know it. Nevertheless, I stepped forward, and continued to take pictures. I did this a number of times and that’s when I saw it. Tiny buds, almost unnoticeable until I was right next to them. Tiny leaves that you couldn’t see just driving by.

In the midst of my own list of frustrations, I had missed the hope that God had for me. I was so irritated at the length of the cold season and all the little things that had warn me out that I never saw the new life that was all around me.

Too often, I look at the big picture and inflate my own problems all the while neglecting the threads of God within them.

This is what I saw today. Isn’t it awesome?  This delicate Daffodil came up in spite of the storm that raged around it. The extra snow, the long cold days that seemed to never end, nothing stopped it’s growth. Nothing around it shows any sign of life, yet still it thrives. We can do that too. We can thrive even when everything around us appears broken and lifeless.

Today, I’m looking for the glimmers of hope that God has sewn into the tapestry of my life. The tiny leaves, the smallest flowers, and the moments I often miss.

The bible says to “cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us”.  When we do, the new growth we will see in our own lives will rival the storms all around us. I’m excited to see that growth aren’t you?