Blooming in the Snow

It was the first day of spring and snow was falling!  Big fluffy flakes floated down to cover the grass and melt glistening on the driveway.

Of course, this is Virginia (not the outskirts of Anchorage) and the bipolar weather flips from 70 degrees to snow so fast you hardly have time to drop your container of SPF-50 sun block to pick up your stocking cap.  This doesn't provide too much of a problem for the human population (since we can just put on a coat), but plant life suffers.

As I looked out of our front window, I could see our Magnolia Tree, which had bloomed a beautiful purple the week before, now shrouded in white.  It was snow bound in spring.

The contrast between this southern tree, covered with flowers, and the snow struck me.  What is it that lets a person continue to bloom even in the midst of suffering?

Focus on the sun, not on the snow.

Even on the most frigid, snowy day, the sun is still there behind the clouds.  In that grayish half light lies something called "Hope."  Hope for the Magnolia Tree that spring really is coming and hope for us humans that the same God who lead us into this trial will lead us out once again into the light of day.  The snow will melt, the birds will sing, and spring will come again.

Use your energy to bless others.

Perhaps flowers are a waste of energy when the temperatures drop into the high twenties, but they stand out and lift the spirits of those who have to slog to work in the cold.  Everyone has an opportunity to bless those around them, even in a time of suffering.  It may be as simple as a kind word, a card, or a smile. 

It is hard to think of others in the middle of a difficult time, but those who do receive a special blessing.

Be who God made you to be.

Magnolia Trees bloom because they are Magnolia Trees.  That's it.  In the same way, God has not called us to be something or someone we aren't.  He only asks us to be the person who He created us to be -- in every situation we find ourselves in.

In the end, that may put a smile on the faces of those around us.  It definitely will bring glory to our Creator.

That's reason enough for a Magnolia Tree to bloom in the snow.