May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Psalm 46:1-7
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city
of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The trees had knees.
In Congaree National Park, my daughter, Maggie, my
grandchildren, Dylan and Zeke, and I hiked along the boardwalk over the swampy
areas. I’d never seen anything quite like the park. The other-worldly feeling
made me wonder when the dinosaurs or gnomes might appear.
Maggie and her family had visited the park before, and she
knew I’d love it. And I did. The vegetation was like nothing I’d seen before.
The trees were huge and fascinating. The Cyprus trees appeared to wear pleated
skirts, and they were surrounded by little stumpy looking knees. Maggie told me
the knees grow up from the roots and help anchor the trees in the muddy soil,
so they offer the tree an extra layer of strength against the wind and storms. The
knees also act like a protection against erosion, which reminds me of how God
anchors me and provides protection and strength.
The verse that mentions the nations in an uproar and the kingdoms
falling brings to mind the headlines today. So much turmoil is in the world,
yet in the Congaree National Park, I felt God’s protection and presence, especially when we encountered a timber rattler.
With God as my refuge, I embraced His presence in the forest,
and I hold tight to it today, at home. He is my strength and He holds me in His
hands.
Wherever you are, if you are a child of God, He sees you and
cares for you.
Matthew 28:5-10
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just
as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and
tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet
filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met
them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and
worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and
tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
I cannot visit the mountains without hiking to a waterfall.
My daughter Maggie and her teenagers let me tag along on a
trip to Greenville, SC to visit my youngest daughter, Hannah. Hannah and
Stephen are blessed to live in the beautiful Appalachian Mountain region of our
country where a trip to the mountains is just a car drive away.
On one of our exploration adventures we hiked in the Dupont
State Forest, southeast of Brevard, NC, to Triple Falls waterfall. I enjoyed
the spring foliage and the new life popping in the forest, but at the end of
the trail, the true gem awaited.
The falls roared over the rock face of the cliff, and I
stood and let the water spray my face. As I reflected on the power of the falls,
I considered how powerful God is and how humble and loving Jesus is. With
Easter Sunday and the celebration of Jesus defeating death, the truth of Jesus’
life struck me. He lived in obedience to his Father. In living, he knew his
death would come and that he’d carry the burden of sin for every person. He
knew, yet he obeyed. Even as Jesus died, God knew the outcome. God’s power defeated
death and he breathed life into his son and sent his angels to roll away the
stone.
Jesus died and rose again from an ugly death. Through God’s
power, he lives and loves and wants every soul to follow him and meet him in
heaven.
I pray you have a blessed Easter and consider Jesus invitation
to be your Savior.
Genesis 1:11-13
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and
trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various
kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed
according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according
to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and
there was morning—the third day.
Spring’s first heartbeat honors winter’s last breath. -Angie Weiland Crosby
Tim and I have been walking Rosie at the local park. As we
hike along the trail, I’ve spotted a variety of flowers blooming. The yellow
celandine blankets the forest floor, Dutchman’s breeches wave their miniature
pantaloon shaped petals, and Virginia bluebell leaves are sprouting. Green has
popped all over and the robins are tweeting a welcome to spring.
When I witness the change from winter to warmer weather and
the brown shifting to shades of green, I’m reminded of the creation story. When
God made the world, He added plants. He knew we’d need not only the produce from
the vegetation, but the beauty of the flowers.
As we walked this morning, I considered the Garden of Eden
and the glorious place it must have been. All the amazing plants in God’s
original creation must have looked and smelled incredible. Imagine the perfection.
I’m thankful He blesses me with the beauty of nature in our
little corner. No, we don’t experience a land without scars or blemishes, but
we do have a hint of the place Adam and Eve left behind. The hint of the
possible beauty of heaven fills my heart with hope. As I spy a hyacinth’s fresh
bloom or the brilliant color of a tulip, I’m reminded of how much God loves me.
He cares for the flowers and loves His people even more.
Enjoy spring and appreciate God’s gift of beauty on earth
and the ultimate glory of heaven.