[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Tuesday, March 4, 2014

[Paul]

Hello and good day to you all.  I hope that, by God's matchless grace and His providential care, that you all are doing well today.

When one thinks of March at least here in the Northern Hemisphere, one thinks, among other things, of the return of spring.  Now I don't know about you, but this year we've had more than our share of winter.  In fact as I write this, here in the Baltimore-Washington metro area and I suppose in other areas north of us along the east coast of the u.S., it's anything but spring with the temperatures either in the lower 20's or upper teens, depending on where you happen to reside.  Our Daily Thought article for today will hopefully remind you of spring with its warmer temperatures and new life in the form of flowers, trees and bushes.  This somewhat short article, read by many of you last year, has no author's name attached to it, but it is entitled "Love That Blossoms," rendered as follows:

Curiously, the warmth of the spring day felt good on my skin.  I fought back the veil of tears that blurred the dogwood trees lining the hospital grounds.  Everything around me seemed to be bursting with life while I felt cold, alone, and defeated.

With a sinking feeling, I opened my car door and drove to the florist.  I knew I had to do this for my mother.  She had always said, "Give me flowers while I can enjoy them."

As I opened the door to the florist's shop, I was met by a profusion of color mingled with the scent of fresh roses.  What a contrast with the bare hospital room I had just left!

My mother had been in the hospital for more than two weeks, her yearlong struggle with lung cancer nearly at an end.  I wanted more than anything to see her smile once more.

I walked between the potted daisies, pausing to finger the petals.  They still shimmered with water droplets, and I couldn't help thinking how vibrant they seemed.  The shelves below them were lined with dish gardens exploding with philodendron.  Everything seemed blessed with the fullness of life and the will to live.

I turned and faced the sunlight streaming through the window, hoping it would drive out the ache in my throat.  I breathed in deeply, then glanced up at the top shelf.  There, I saw an old-fashioned yellow sprinkling can brimming with lavender daisies.  As I lifted it from the shelf, the flowers practically danced.

"Could I help you?" a voice behind me asked.

I turned to face a woman I didn't know.  She must have sensed the pain in my heart or seen the tears in my eyes, because her eyes were full of compassion.

"I--I want something pretty for my mother," I managed to say.  "She is dying." Without so much as a word, the woman who worked daily nurturing life with the flower shop walked forward.  Her deep brown eyes melted into a mixture of pain, understanding, and love as she gently placed her arms around me.

In that unexpected embrace, I felt God's love as He welcomed me into His arms, surrounding and protecting me from the pain.  At once, the familiar words of Jesus spoke clearly to me.  "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35, KJV).

There in that flower shop, God met me, a defeated and lonely person trying to muddle through a tragedy without Him.  But through His love, He sent someone to meet me in my sorrow.

I thank God every day for this woman who allowed the love of Jesus to work through her.  My prayer is that I follow her example and meet others where they are, freely offering the love of Jesus.

And there you have it for today.  I had a similar experience when at Beacon Lodge Camp near Mt. Union PA this past July.  There, among other campers, I met a lady named Olivia from Holidaysburg PA just south of Altoona.  One day while we were taking a short walk together (We had previously never met, but we found that, despite our age differences, we had essential things in common.), Olivia somehow knew that the memory of my late mom was heavy on me, even though I hadn't told her the situation previously.  She did for me what that lady did for the woman whose mother was in the hospital.  Fortunately for both Olivia and the undersigned, we were alone.  My, but I sure wish that I had her contact info, but I guess that is not meant to be.  Have contacted the camp, but according to camp policy they were not allowed to give out such info, even though I had no ulterior motive.  Oh well, maybe God will somehow put us together again, something I'm hoping for, but in His way, will and time.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing tomorrow there will be another Daily Thought message for you.  Your Christian friend and brother, Paul