Daffodil grit

Spring is here, guys! I love Spring. Daylight Savings happens, so the days feel longer. The temperatures warm up a little, but not too much. Flowers bloom. Layers of clothing can come off. It’s just lovely.

Late in January I was delighted to see the first daffodils crop up. They always serve as a reminder that even though Spring feels light years away, it is just around the corner. This year they really struck me though. I’d run past them day after day, week after week and think … how are they not dead yet? They’ve been snowed on, basically drowned in rain, blasted by icy winds and ruthlessly nipped at by freezing temperatures. And yet, they stay alive.

The thought hit me: daffodils are the bravest of the flowers. They are resilient even though they look so delicate. They arrive like beacons of hope for the spring to come even while winter is still going strong. They hope against all hope, not afraid to look like fools in the process.

I pray we would all have some measure of daffodil grit. Is there something in your life you have been longing for? A promise to be fulfilled? A goal to be reached? Healing or victory for yourself or a loved one? When life hits you with snow, and rain, and freezing temperatures (because it will), lift that precious head back up and stand tall in hope. You may look like a fool, but who cares? Hope against all hope, because you know the One who can do the impossible. He sees your faith and shines His smiling face down on you.

Daffodils are never wrong, are they? They hold out hope till the end, and Spring always comes. Always.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. – Psalm 34:4-5

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:18-22