Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die…” John 11:26
Even before temperatures were consistently warm, the tiny purple or white bell-shaped flowers peeked up between spring green blades of grass in our front yard. The German word for these blooms is beautifully descriptive: schneeglocken, or snow bells. Because we were only renters in the house, I had no idea who originally planted the small bulbs which every year cheered both us and passersby after the grim winter days.
But another phenomenon also occurred annually: a late spring snowstorm! That first year I feared that my tiny harbingers of spring would be destroyed, but as the sun melted the top layer of icy flakes, the snow bells bravely lifted their heads toward the warmth.
New and beautiful life is planted within us when we personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior. In a very real sense, we “bloom” as God causes growth. But invariably storms come—disappointments overwhelm, grief crushes, expectations are frustrated. We wonder if our new life has disappeared. Will the beauty of Christ within us ever again bring hope to us and encouragement to others?
And then slowly, but very surely, the warmth of God’s love begins to melt the cold realities threatening to overwhelm. Perhaps a small answered prayer. Or a Bible verse flashes like a neon sign. A friend offers unexpected support. And we are reminded that what God plants and nourishes can never die.
by Marilyn Ehle
used by permission