Hope in a Tulip

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:24-25 

Each year I think about buying those lovely, exotic tulips that I see in magazines and in others’ yards. However, it requires planning ahead…I need to find these fancy bulbs in October of the year prior and plant them in ground that might be a bit frozen and unyielding. 

Discussing this in our Wednesday morning Bible study, we all agreed: Planting bulbs is a sign of hope. It’s a sign of hope that we (or someone) will be around to witness the fall’s planting in the spring. It’s hopefulness that squirrels won’t dig the little bulbs up. It’s hope that time will pass and we’ll be able to witness a sign of beauty, of God’s hand in nature.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we know that we have hope in You. Help us to have faith and trust that you will be with us, granting us a hopeful future, if we remain in You. Grant us the ability to feel hopeful when we are feeling hopeless. Amen.

Donna Gustafson