Springtime in Texas usually tempt tourists to flock to our back roads. Splattered in carpets of blues and pinks, then shifting to reds and yellows, wildflowers cover the landscape. They spread across fields like God’s colorful quilt, hugging the fence posts and stretching over the edges of the farm to market routes. But, not this year. The lack of rain has taken its toll.
Yesterday, I traveled to a family member’s funeral in the Texas Hill Country. The two-lane highway should have been covered in wildflowers. Instead, mostly brownish-yellow grasses spread along the sides of the road.
The creeks ,once bubbling over the limestone rocks, were dry beds. The larger rivers were so low the cypress trees, which lace the banks, craned their roots out of the dirt in search for water. The temperatures were already soaring into the low 90’s , even though it is April. The thirsty landscape prompted me to guzzle a bit more bottled water as we rode.
Yet, along the way,I noticed a few delicate blossoms hardy enough to pop through the cracked, parched ground. Some clung near rocks. others nestled against cacti, which by the way, were in abundance. They were welcomed signs of renewal and beauty in an otherwise dreary scenery.
Our faith can be that like these sturdy blossoms. Through times of spiritual drought, nuggets of Scripture long ago memorized, verses of a hymn once sung a the top of our lungs with hands lifted high, or a wall plaque or bookmark with a comfortable passage can pop through our worried minds to give us a smile–just as the bluebonnets and buttercups eked through the drought-strickened Texas grasslands this spring. When sickness, death, financial uncertainty or loneliness is all others see, our faith-eyes can detect small patches of color amidst the brown as a sign from our Lord that He is still with us.
If our connections with our Lord are deeply rooted, they will survive any season. Our storehouse of faith-building examples will provide the Living Water we need to survive. We can still blossom despite the dreariness of our circumstances. Our roots are still finding the water that provides life. At the funeral, I saw faces of hope, though some were streamed with tears. Like the wildflowers this year,even in the midst of their grief, they knew our family member was with Christ Similar to the cypress trees, their rooted beliefs had found refreshment. When the preacher said, “As he breathed his life breath on earth, his soul breathed his first in Heaven,” heads bobbed in affirmation. Though with tissues laced through fingers, smiles were shared.
Seek God during the great times, never stop reading Scripture, attending church, fellowshipping with other believers, or singing hymns. Spend regular quiet times praying and listening.to God. Store up your faith to sustain you, no matter the season or conditions surrounding you. Then, while others are bent low in the heat, you will blossom.
Here are two verses that remind me of the Texas backroads on the way to a funeral one unseasonably hot spring day —
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Matthew 6:30
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8
Where Did You Find God Today? 