Resurrection Lily

My heart was as heavy as the humidity that hung in the air as I started the mower and headed for the field. Just a few months ago, the spring air and the hope that it brought filled my heart. As spring “sprung” my heart filled with the awareness of the goodness of God and even mowing was a joy. The birds sang as they set up housekeeping to raise their families, new plants came up right on time in such exquisite colors to brighten the earth and my days as well. I went out to my “prayer chair” with great expectancy as if searching to see what spring perennial had poked it’s head out for the first time. My spirit soared as new truth came out of God’s word. The warm breezes were like whispers from God himself to my heart. My whole being was full of praise, I could hardly contain it.

What had happened to those days I wondered? My mower bumped over the hard ground, dried and cracked by the heat. Some of the grass had succumbed to the conditions of the summer so there were bald spots and the only thing growing was the water grass that stuck it’s ugly head up all over the field. The barn swallows that had entertained me early in the spring were sluggish probably because the bugs were so plentiful that they had already had their fill. The birds had stopped singing and all I could hear was an occasional coo from a mourning dove reminding me of the hurt I held in my heart. Woe is me I thought, as I reminded God of the burden that I had carried that instead of getting better had gotten worse.

As I dragged myself toward the house, drenched from the heat and humidity, I caught a glimpse of something growing in the, now drooping flower garden. It was a friend who came for a surprise visit! No not the human kind but a lily that comes unannounced. I don’t know what the true name is for it but I have always called it a Resurrection Lily. There it was standing in the middle of flowers that had seen better days. The first year we lived here is the first time that I had ever given any mind to this beauty. It is said that this is one of the most cold hardy plants in the lily family. Evidently the heat doesn’t stop it either. There it stood as if in a royal parade. My heavy heart lifted a bit but I went to the house still feeling the despair that I had been drenched with on this summer day. The next day, and the next, I gazed out at this beauty, still standing even in the heat. I wondered when it too would finally succumb to the blistering heat.

I “happened” to come across a beautiful scripture in Isaiah today that sums it up for me.

The desert and the parched land will be glad, the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus, it will burst into bloom it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
Isaiah 35:1-2

According to some, this text refers to the coming of Christ, to me it means hope, not hope in the dryness of my feelings or the wilderness of my despair but in the Resurrected Christ who never changes. Even through my lowest times, I can trust this amazing truth. My lily burst into bloom and shouted the joy of the Lord to my tired, dry soul. Thank you God for this beautiful reminder.
Eventually my Resurrection Lily will fade and die but the truth of the resurrected Christ will stand for all eternity.

Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way, say to fearful hearts be strong and do not fear…he will come to save you. Isaiah 35:3-4