Spring Hope

The bus reached one of the main roundabouts on its way into town.  As we went around the roundabout one lady said , 'Oh look aren't they lovely?' pointing out all the daffodils and crocuses in bloom in the centre of the roundabout.  Another lady said,'Yes, they bring a smile to your face don't they?'  And it's true that spring flowers bring cheer and hope to a dreary, monochrome winter.  They herald a brighter future.  Even the shape of daffodils indicates the trumpeting of something better on the horizon.  How many of us, when we see the daffodils in bloom, think of those words of William Wordsworth - 10 thousand saw I at a glance - even if that short phrase is the only part of the poem that we know? 

A taste of my garden bringing a smile indoors

The interesting thing is that daffodils are not expensive flowers.  You can buy a bunch for a few pence.  They are possibly the cheapest flowers on sale.  To plant them, you buy a whole pack of bulbs - not like some plants that are extremely expensive for only one.  Maybe that's one reason why they are planted so profusely in our green spaces in towns - there are lots of them!  They don't have the perfume of a rose, the beauty of an orchid, the deep meaning of a poppy or the scarcity of some exotic bloom in danger of extinction.  They are just ordinary, abundant, nothing special and yet are so welcome as they burst into life after the dark, cold days of winter.


The other day I came across this picture of two small boys.  The older one was comforting and encouraging the younger one, bringing a smile to his worried little face.  He wasn't some great preacher with much knowledge or someone with 'film star looks'.  By his appearance, he didn't seem to be wealthy and yet he was able to bring a smile to another.  We can follow the lives of stars; we can listen to great preachers; we can look up to others who have great knowledge beyond our understanding but when we are feeling low, it's the one who cares and listens that brings a smile to our face.  When I think of Jesus and the stories we read of how people flocked to see and hear him, it's evident that he was someone with whom people wanted to spend time, he encouraged, he cared, he listened.  Sadly I often find that non-church-goers do not have the same opinion of Christians, often the opposite.  They come across as judgmental instead of welcoming.  They seem negative, full of 'don'ts' - don't do this, don't say that, don't go there.  Many are very quick to let you know where you are going wrong and how sinful you are - 'God says ... ... ', the Bible says ... ... '  And yet Jesus had the opposite attitude, always caring and welcoming, not for ever telling people how bad they were.



Someone once said that God must love ordinary people as He made so many of them.  When you look at the ordinary plentiful daffodils, you are not immediately struck by its beauty or think of it as being some expensive or rare flower.  What comes to mind is what it points to - Spring, hope, encouragement of more to follow.  That is how we should be living - just ordinary people bringing a smile to the lives of others by caring and encouraging.  You don't have to appear knowledgeable, clever, good looking or important in the eyes of others.  God loves to use and smile through HIs presence in the ordinary.  God in the ordinary, God of the everyday.