Devotional 2-26-13

Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalms 63: 1-8; 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13; Luke 13: 1-9 -- “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63: 1.

I like our West Virginia climate with changing seasons and a variety of blooming plants with the resulting seasonal changes in landscape vistas. However, winter is just not my favorite season. I despair of the lack of green plants and the constant chill in the air. I have had even more problems with winter during the last couple of years where we have been lulled by some periods of warmer temperatures into thinking “it’s not that bad, so I can take this”. And then we get slammed with a snow storm or freezing temperatures. Maybe if it would stay colder, I would get more acclimated and become less of a whiner. (Not much chance of giving up the whining part, though.)

But as we navigate through winter in this season of Lent, it is with delight that I notice the daffodils in my front yard. They are steadily growing taller and seem to be oblivious to the snow, wind, chill or frost. Daffodil bulbs are planted at a depth of about 6-8 inches and they grow best if planted in the fall so that they are cooled by a season of winter weather. Only after the period of seeming dormancy and cold, can the green shoots spring forth to produce the yellow and white flowers. What may appear to be a dormant time in the life of the bulb is a necessary requirement for the growth of a flowering daffodil.

God is calling me during my daily walk through these days of Lent to take a lesson from the daffodil bulb. Lent is a time to seek nourishment from the scriptures and communicate with God during times of meditation and fasting. It is an inward time that may appear to others as dormancy. Lent is a time for developing habits that will last through the springtime of Easter and in to all our seasons. God is calling us to not only endure the winter but to thrive there—to send out new roots that will nourish our souls and bring us closer to God. Our Lenten task is to allow God to be at work in our lives so that we are transformed by God’s love to be a living gift of love to others. We persevere through the winter/Lent struggle of self-denial and sacrifice in order to become ready for the Easter resurrection. It is only through the process of this “winterizing” that our souls are prepared for flowering. I think Natalie Sleeth’s words best describe this transforming power and show us that our hope is found in trusting in God’s plan.

HYMN OF PROMISE by Natalie Sleeth
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. Dear God of all living things; We thirst for nutrition from you that will transform us even when we feel empty, cold and as bleak as the landscape appears during winter. Give us patience as we navigate through this winter time of preparation. Forgive us when we whine and complain because this growth is painful or slow. Help us to know that our hope is in trusting your plan and obeying your spiritual direction. Thank you for blessing us with a bounty of beauty in the world around us. Help to be alert for the beauty in each soul we meet. AMEN.

Chyrl Budd