Sitting at home this morning with my kids on a snowy morning as I await the burning off of yet another two-hour delay, I am longing for warmer weather and the wonderful things that the season of spring brings. I am reminded of a lesson from 1 Peter 2:9…
Show forth the praises of Him, who hath called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.
Winter is a dreary time and it is one that I characterize with the gripping darkness of depression and sadness. Though here in Indiana, this winter has been fairly mild compared to last winter, it is easy to start thinking these days will never end.
There are many people who go about life thinking their dark season is eternal… that it will last forever. But don’t give in to that line of thinking!
Consider the flower. There’s a good reason they are used as gifts to help cheer people up. They represent a rise from their own periods of darkness. The flower began life as an ugly seed in the darkness of the ground. And there it sat. Abandoned, lonely and perhaps even a little cold. An unknown force kept pulling it up, up, up and out of the darkness.
And just as the ugly duckling, the ugly seed blossomed into a magnificent flower with the sole purpose of showing praises to The giver of light and warmth.
It reminds me of my grandfather, who absolutely adored the flower/plant called “Snow on the Mountain.” He searched high and low for seeds, and once he finally had them, planted them everywhere.
He gave me about six seedlings one year. I planted them, not really knowing what they would produce. Being about an inch tall and all green – there was no color and nothing all that grand about them. But by mid to late July, WOW! These itty bitty plants had grown to about two feet tall and were absolutely beautiful.
Snow On the Mountain grown (with help from God) and photographed by Chad Gramling
They had grown and been refined from simple little green stubs into vibrant green mini-shrubs that had their foliage painted just right. Seeing them, It is easy to understand why they are referred to as Snow on the Mountain.”
The best part, though, after the summer season had waned and the plants had wilted, they re-seeded themselves by opening up their capsules and dropping small B.B. sized, black seeds to the ground. The ugly little seeds that smelled kind of putrid came up in even greater force the following spring.
In addition to their wonderful beauty, I got to reflect upon my grandfather and the pride he took in blessing me with them. I like to think they provide just as much pride today as he looks down from Heaven knowing that I have continued on with his favorite plants. though we moved some years later and I have not had anywhere near the same success,
i will keep trying.
I also like to think that my Heavenly Father looks down at pride with what I do throughout my daily life. In both ways, I hope I am able to praise and bring glory to Him.
Today, I pray you and I will sprout out of the darkness with upright lives and ultimately bring glory to God.