Life drastically changed last year. Government recommendations soon morphed into mandates. Masks, social distancing, quarantine, isolation—each raided our lives and forced a new normal.
Unknowns caused panic and fear in many, including myself. My mind constantly worried if the individuals around me harbored the virus. People, not the virus, quickly became the enemy. Groceries, mail, and the air, each justified as a threat as I listened to health officials and experts speak of the Novel coronavirus and the unknowns surrounding it. Even as new research debunked some of my worries, my mind refused to transition to anything less than anxiety and fear.
Months of social distancing and staying at home fueled my mission to protect my family from sickness. Past tendencies to isolate myself and push others away crept back into my life and took hold of me once again. They surrounded me in darkness, much like the cold, winter ground engulfs what is buried beneath its surface. This time, something was different. My soul longed for more. For connection, for hope, for fellowship with others.
Years past, I would have settled in and been thankful for the excuse to push away, to hide, to isolate. I still struggle with wanting to do those things, but I now understand the value of friendship and the support and encouragement it brings. The seasons I shared my life with others are when I found the most strength and contentment. Friendship offers the opportunity to celebrate the joys and to bear each other’s burdens. The fear and anxiety brought by the past year left me alone in the darkness for a time, but just as the green daffodil sprouts split the ground and break free, my soul fights to break through the cold, hard ground of winter and burst forth into the light.
The yellow blooms and green stems of daffodils contrast the brown, barren area surrounding them. The vibrant colors give hope of the season to come. They remind us of new life and longer, brighter days ahead. In our cold, barren seasons of life, Jesus desires to bring the same hope. He desires to give us life, and life more abundant.
The life Christ offers is one of joy and peace, even in the midst of our darkest days. He places others in our life to encourage us, and we are to encourage them. Darkness consumed me this past year until I had nothing to offer anyone, nothing except perhaps a negative attitude.
Now, pushing through the darkness, I am reminded others need me just as much as I need them. Daffodils rarely grow alone. Clumps bloom with multiple flowers, sometimes blanketing entire fields. It is a glorious sight to behold and brings joy to the soul, so much so we pick them to brighten our homes or someone else’s day.
As winter turns to spring, may the sight of daffodils remind us to burst out of the darkness and into the Light, to never dwell in what is meant to serve as a season, and to encourage and uplift one another.
God, I pray we trust You enough to step into Your Light and out of the darkness that has surrounded us this past year. May we be sensitive to others around us, especially to those who need our encouragement to burst forth out of their own winter and into the Light. Thank You for the daffodils, which so beautifully remind us of warmer days ahead and of the hope You offer.
