Believe Manifesto

Here in Missouri our weather is crazy! I know that in many other parts of the midwest, it is equally as crazy. Many of us like to say, “If you don’t like the weather, hang on a minute and it will change.” It is not unusual for us to see three seasons of weather in one day. I get SO ready for winter to be over, for the clouds to be gone, and for the sun to be out.

A blessing that God always gives us here in Missouri is the daffodils. Those tiny, sunny blooms are the first flowers we usually see in Missouri. They can be covered in snow and they will still pop out of the ground and bloom as a promise that better weather and Spring is on its way. This year, it has been rain, wind, and flooding. But lo and behold a few weeks ago, they came up in all of their yellow glory!

I don’t know about you all, but towards the beginning of March I feel like it’s time to head to the beach, soak up some vitamin D and the sunshine. My mood gets a little gloomy, I get cranky with the kids, I feel tired. And some days it just feels like there isn’t an end in sight. That is why I am so grateful for the hope that these little flowers bring. They are telling me that no season lasts forever. Seasons always come to an end, usually right when you are at your breaking point. They would NOT bloom if they knew they couldn’t live. Now that’s not to say that there hasn’t come an ice storm and frozen those blooms, but usually within a few days the sun is back out and they survive.

The last couple weeks I have really been working on quieting my mind, being intentional about my quiet time, reading scripture, and being more calm. I tend to get WOUND UP you all. And that was not serving my life in this season. This quiet time has led to so much peace and grace for me. It has felt like a slightly warm Spring day when you are taking a stroll in a park. That is a marvelous feeling, because I can honestly say–I have not felt that very often in my life. What I learned was that it isn’t about what I can ADD to my life, it’s what I can SUBTRACT to make things more peaceful. I prayed about this, and God told me the exact thing that I needed to subtract, and I was reluctantly obedient. But within two days, I knew that doing without was blessing me in more ways than I ever could have pictured.

For you, it may be something different. God may have something else in mind to bring your season more peace and grace. But what I do know is that if you hold fast to his word, to keep seeing the “blooms” he has planted just for you, they can bless your life beyond measure and give you hope for a better season to come.

What blooms has God planted for you lately?