God's Every Day Goodness

see His hand in the beauty of today and yesterday

It's a bit gloomy and rainy here, and I am simultaneously thankful for the moisture and struggling to keep the old chin up. Gray days, especially in long monotonous sequence, have a way of making me want to curl up and hibernate. If it's not actively raining I try to get out and walk because the fresh air helps revive my spirits and I always find a little beauty that shines through the gray. The other day I spotted these lovely drops of sun...

sweet and fresh miniature daffodils

I love daffodils for many reasons, not least because they are one of the earliest signs of spring, which always translates to hope for me. When I saw these cheerful blooms I snapped this photo and then continued my walk. Meanwhile my mind took a stroll down memory lane.

We have daffodils surrounding our yard, but we didn't always, and the reason we started our daffodils has a special significance to me. Our oldest daughter struggled with language delays when she was younger. Our early efforts to address her needs were hampered by various factors. As a result she tended to express her wants and needs with physical aggression which was very hard to handle. Eventually we found the right combination of therapies, external supports, and parenting strategies that helped her begin to latch onto words to tell us what she wanted. Although she didn't always get what she wanted, when she used words we were highly motivated to respond in positive ways.

"Mom, I want daffodils!"

"Oh! Daffodils for the vase?"

"Daffodils in the yard!"

"Oh! That's going to be tricky..."

This conversation, or a close facsimile thereof, occured sometime in March. Daffodils are planted as bulbs in the Fall so that they will sprout and bloom in early spring (late January or early February where we live.) Most of the daffodils in our area were already done blooming and the only daffodils I had seen in the stores were cut and ready to put in a vase. "Tricky" was our code word for when something might not turn out the way she wanted. I was not at all sure we could pull off daffodils in the yard right then, but waiting was also hard for her. I remember sensing how this disappointment would land. I had several errands to run anyway and decided to look everywhere I went for some daffodils in a pot. I don't remember how many different places I went. I'm pretty sure I added some unscheduled stops, but I couldn't find anything that seemed like it would fulfill this desire. Finally, at the grocery store in the floral department, I found a pot with a miniature yellow daffodil. I knew she was probably thinking of full-sized blooms, but I bought it anyway knowing it was the only thing we were going to find this late in the year. She loved it and we planted it that day in one of our flower beds. Disappointment storm averted, I made a note to buy some daffodil bulbs in the fall. I wasn't sure this little daffodil would show its head again the next Spring.

Our miniature yellow daffodil

It's been about fifteen years since we gratefully planted that little daffodil. Every year since that brave little daffodil pokes out as one of the earliest spring flowers in our yard. It has thrived there. Its larger cousins gather along the property line like the royal guard protecting the little prince. Every year when I see it I am reminded of this story and the many answers to prayer that it represents... not just that I would find a daffodil that day, but that we would be able to guide our daughter to grow in language, in faith, and in confidence. That God would help us to better understand her needs, and that our efforts to nurture her would bear fruit in her life and the lives of those around her.

It also reminds me of these verses in the gospels:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

(Matthew 7:7-11, ESV, Jesus speaking)

it's just beginning to bloom this year

• I would not have know what my daughter wanted if she had not asked. Thankfully she was learning that words were powerful and she asked for daffodils in the yard. God knows what we need, but He still wants us to ask (and seek, and knock.)

  
  

• As much as my faltering, uncertain, limited mother's heart longed to provide this bit of joy to my daughter, God's perfectly powerful and loving Father heart even more so longs to provide what we need.

  
  

• My daughter would not have been satisfied with plastic flowers if I had given up and bought some of those. A loving parent would never substitute a rock for the sustenance of bread. Likewise, we should also long for God's best for us, and He will desire to provide it.

How have you seen God's goodness today?

Some music for your reflection:

Counting My Blessings by Seph Schlueter (with Matt Maher)

Seek Ye First (this version by Maranatha! Praise Band)

Gratitude by Brandon Lake