The Faithful Forsythias

Our recent journey across Canadian provinces and America’s upper states seems to have awakened my senses to appreciate God’s handiwork in places, nature, people and things more than ever before. And, that appreciation has given me food for thought and a new, keen awareness of His creation for my next blog.

On excursions, traveling via bus along coastlines and towns, I couldn’t help but be enamored by the many vibrant yellow forsythia bushes that lined grand avenues and humble homes, pictured here.

With the freezing temperatures and mounds of snow that the northern provinces and states receive during winter, it seems that the forsythias and their golden, vibrant blooms arrive to announce, “It’s Spring! Hallelujah! The end of cold, gray, winter days!"

Forsythias are more than beautiful. They have an unusual blooming pattern. Unlike most plants, forsythias flower BEFORE their leaves unfurl, a wonderful anomaly in nature that reminds us that the world often unfolds in unexpected ways, much like the mysteries and wonders of life orchestrated by God.

Isn’t that just like our God Who often surprises us with His grace most unexpectedly? We expect life to proceed in a certain orderly fashion: first the leaves, then the flowers. But then God's blessings can burst forth in unexpected ways that only He can orchestrate!

Carl and I purposely determined to visit with both younger and older couples and individuals during our travels, engaging with them to share and learn from their stories. Each person we met added beauty to our experiences, much like how the forsythias grabbed my attention.

In every golden petal of the forsythia, there is a reminder of our Creator’s notorious ability for beauty and His desire to share it with us in abundance. It's a call to recognize the beauty in the world around us and in the faces of the people we encounter.

Just as the forsythia boldly declares the arrival of spring, let us boldly live our lives, reflecting God's love and light in all that we do and for all those people who need to see the visual testimony of His presence.

May we remember that God is in every detail of His creation. That includes you and me! We open our eyes, and we see a reflection of God’s love – a vivid, visual testimony of His presence and a colorful reminder of the beauty He seeds in our lives and in our interactions with others.

May we live boldly, reflecting God’s love and light in all that we do, offering a visible testament to His presence in nature AND in us!

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)