Serendipities of hope

This backyard bush of mine has a new name.

Now I call it the hope bush.

I'll tell you why.

For the most part, I love my life.

I have had a wide range of challenges -- big challenges throughout my life and that has especially been true for the past year. But I love challenges. Always have. The bigger the challenge, the better.

And all my life, I have enjoyed the great gift of life energy. I am a lot like the energizer bunny. Because I love life and my work so much, I keep going and going and going and going. And I almost always find new sources of life and hope and encouragement along the way.

But a couple of weeks ago, I had a personal version of the wonderful childhood book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. I got lots of material for a sequel: The D.S. and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day. I know people talk about the superintendency as an influential role -- but it is also a place where you really see the underside of people and the church -- and people in the church. This work can be very, very discouraging. I came home and had a real sinking spell. My journal didn't have enough room for me to list all the things that had been discouraging about the day. So I went to sit in my swing in the back yard.

Just as soon as I started swinging and listening to the soothing, running water in my koi pond (what a wonderful backyard refuge I have!), I looked up and there was a cameillia bush in full bloom. And I mean full bloom. God as my witness, I had not even noticed that the bush had blooms on it. My sweet little grandsons had been with me all week. We had been outside ("Grammy, let's go check the pond!" "Grammy, I think we need to feed the fish!") And that bush was nothing but ordinary green leaves.

I don't have many days when I feel that discouraged.

But, when I did, it felt like God opened a window of beauty to help me get perspective.

Psalm 116 is my favorite psalm. "The Lord protects the simple. When I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you..."

And, indeed, God has dealt bountifully with me.

Life throws great challenges. But God's nourishing is even greater. Always!