What We Learn From Daffodils Coming to Life



 

Signs of hope spring to new life.

Signs of hope behind fences

Signs of hope in the crowded masses

Signs of hope with one single friend

Signs of hope dazzling the senses

All offer hope and  promise of new life,

 coming from inside a seemingly dead bulb

buried in the cold frozen ground.

And then they burst forth...Resurrection!

 

Dallas Willard in his book The Divine Conspiracy speaks in a similar way about our own resurrection. "He will metamorphose our humiliating body, transforming it into a glory body like his, utilizing the power he has to make all things do what he wants (Phil 3:20-21). When we pass through "death" into God's full world our "our earthy tent is torn down," as Paul elsewhere says we are not thereby deprived of a body, any more than Jesus himself was. Rather, we are then "clothed with a dwelling place of the heavenly sort" (2 Cori. 5:1-8). The mortal part of us is swallowed up by life." God has prepared us for this by depositing in us a "down payment" in the form of the Spirit (v. 5). We know even now, and by experience, the reality of a life that is not of the physical body."

 

We have promises of this New Life all around us.

Who has eyes to see?

Growing A New Heart

While I know many people who are in the midst of grief, I continue to be amazed and encouraged by the healing that takes place through the passage of weeks, months, years. And while we often grow weary of days without the one we love, we surprise ourselves with the energy and even sometimes the enthusiasm to move forward. We never forget and we will always be trying to grow a new heart in many ways, but life has a way of drawing us forward—gradually. Sometimes we have to retreat and rest, especially around birthdays and special anniversaries, but we learn to expect the movement, even welcome it in the movement of our days.

Just how do we grow a new heart? In the movie Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks tries to begin again by moving with his young son to Seattle after the death of his wife. But he can’t sleep. His grief went with him.  People will often sell their home, remarry too soon, or sell their business, thinking that their heart will recover if they change their scenery. But what happens is the broken heart is buried and the busy-ness of new and different simply “mask” the pain. Eventually, it has to be realized for true healing and “heart-growing” to take place.

GriefShare www.griefshare.org, an excellent video and workbook seminar, recommends waiting a full year before any changes are made in one’s lifestyle after the death of a loved one. A full year gives time for one to experience the grief process, discovering that as time goes by, thinking is clearer and decisions can be made that are more rational and realistic.

Growing a new heart takes time and patience. And on those days when you feel the steady beating, you can give thanks and praise to God for giving you life and breath. Breathe today and feel God’s presence.

“Breath on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew,

That I may love what Thou dost love and do what Thou wouldst do.”

(Robert Jackson)