I am an amateur gardener, at best, but I love plants and flowers! What I have cultivated well in my flower garden are daffodils and hyacinths. Probably the reason for this is that once you plant the bulbs in the ground, they need little to no maintenance to grow. Every spring they appear in their cheery vibrant colors!
A few years ago, we needed work done on our septic field system, and thankfully we were able to take care of the problem. My only regret was that my garden was directly in the path that needed to be dug up. As I watched the backhoe tear up the ground where I had added new flower bulbs each year, I felt a pang of regret. There was no way I could have found the plants to dig them up beforehand, so I considered them lost. When the job was finished, the workers dumped the dirt back into the ditches to fill them up.
In spring, where my garden had once been, there was now a thick layer of clay mud, hard and heavy. I was certain that nothing would grow back in that spot. After a few weeks, however, I noticed sprouts making their way through the clay. Apparently, the flower bulbs had been dumped back into their original general area and the warmth of the sun was drawing them up to the surface!
I began digging them up to plant them in a new flower plot. Some of the bulbs were under at least a foot of hardened clay, but still they broke through. It’s been years, but every year I still find daffodils scattered through my yard.
This experience made me reflect on how sometimes we find ourselves in a dark place and hope seems gone, but no matter how deep our troubles, the warmth and light of God’s love can reach down and draw us out.
It reminds me of what King David wrote, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him” 1.
Even though in our times of trouble we may feel like we’ve been thrown into a pit of clay with no way of escape, the Lord is able to use our dark experiences as a testimony of His love, because He will always bring us through!
- Psalm 40:2–3 NIV↑