Returns

 

The sun on my back, warm and welcome: I bent over to weed a flower bed and plant some dahlias. Above me, a pair of swallows squabbled noisily as they flitted round the nest they make annually in the apex of the roof eaves. I’m assuming it was a quarrel as it was so loud and insistent, but perhaps it was loving excitement over the coming brood to be laid in that nest.

We love the swallows that return every year. So tiny (yet noisy…), such vibrant colours and the joy of watching them swoop in and out of the garage and caper during the evening (probably feeding is a better description of what they’re doing).

Consider the birds of the field, Jesus advises. They don’t store up but depend on God’s daily provision for them.

We had another blessed re-connection yesterday, as a now-grown son who we sponsored through Tear Fund found me on Facebook and got in touch. What a delight. What a blessing, to know he is doing well, married with family. It’s as though he migrated back here after twenty-two years to renew this long-distance relationship. God is good.

I love the way God knits us together, across regions, across generations, across cultures. May the Lord open our hearts today to receive all the richness he has for us. May we live in utter dependence on his loving-kindness, resting in his peace and not worrying about the future.