Bagging dead leaves

Stirrings of hope through a blanket of dead leaves

Last autumn, I spent a few hours bagging dead and dying leaves to provide mulch in a couple of years. But inevitably there remains a thick rug of dark brown mouldering leaves on some of the flower beds.

Because I see the snowdrops budding and opening on the grass in the ‘orchard’, I know that beneath those rugs of leaves on the flower beds sprout bulbs which will display a variety of colours as spring begins to reveal herself. The snowdrops will be pushing hard to reach the light. Time for me to get out there and clear away the detritus of last season, so that the new shoots have space and light and air. 

Hope. Hope sometimes gets overwhelmed, buried by words of discouragement or unrealised plans.

What detritus of disappointment or dead dreams lies heavy on my expectations and hopes today? 

Time to clear it away, whatever negative experiences, encounters, fears and anxieties disfigure and stunt my hopes. Time to prepare myself in expectation for new opportunities, new ideas as creation bursts forth in reaction to the reliable rhythm established by our loving heavenly Father.

God is not surprised by the sometimes grinding litany of personal, national and global negativities. He saw them coming, and he has a plan, a plan for good, a plan that will bring about justice for all.

Hope. Today I want to bubble with joy as a woman of hope, hope in the God who is faithful. So with his help, I will again work to root out any bitterness and fears, and clear the way for a new season of faith to blossom forth, fragrant and beautiful, so that Jesus can draw others to himself through me.

Hope in our loving heavenly Father is never misplaced.