Thought for the week

TODAY the warm sun is shining, birds are cheeping, warbling and singing, and a light breeze is dancing here and there through willow branches, hedges and hair. It’s so bright and beautiful! I’ve spotted some gigantic, furry bees and managed to replant some things in my garden.

I feel a familiar, reassuring sense that spring is on the way.

Spring speaks of freshness, potential, new birth and the power of life. God made it that way to encourage us through life’s cycles.

The brightness of the smallest bud reminds us that everything is always – and must be – made new, but it also reminds us that we are invited to take part in that change.

Moment by moment, we are able to step forward and, remembering the sun on our faces, say yes to one small thing after another that ushers in life-bringing change.

Many of those things are everyday brightnesses and little hopes and efforts, though some of our choices can cast a larger circle of light.

Jesus never told us to be ashamed of the bright things in life – the things that give us hope and nourishment.

He taught his disciples to pray a small, daily prayer – including the part that says ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’

Nourishment comes in many forms, but some are for the heart. Refusing God’s daily gifts or being ashamed of them dims the beauty He placed in the world.

The Bible says His mercies are new every morning, and they are! Our many paths through those mercies bring daily opportunities and choices that can encourage a swell of change, inviting a world of freshness and new life.