I love it when the trees start their initial bud of flowers, especially the Japanese Magnolias, or as my daughters and I like to call them, the “tulip trees.”
These beautiful trees are the first to bud with their tulip like flowers, ranging from white-pink to deep purple petals. They are a reminder that spring is on the way, despite the volatile weather.
And if the weather does cooperate, then usually they will bloom and last for up to four weeks, adding splashes of color that brightly stand out against the brown dormant grass and shrubs. However, if a late frost blows through our area, then the petals can be damaged and they won’t reach their full potential.
Each year these trees remind me of the frailty and brevity of life, but they also show me the beauty of it.
We never know when an unexpected frost is going to blow through and shorten a bud’s life, robbing it of its full life span, as was the case with my brother’s unexpected death at the young age of 17.
But on the flip side, we also may live to our full life expectancy, yet never meet our maximum potential.
Psalm 39 reminds us to make each day count:
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”
The point is that we must be intentional with the days that God has given us. Each day that the Holy Spirit wakes us up to begin another day, we have an opportunity to share our faith with others.
Yes, life on this earth is short, but those that are always reaching toward the LIGHT are the ones that produce the most gorgeous and enduring flowers.