Snow on Tulips and Challenges You Face

Take heart, sometimes challenges can be a good thing.

I've been delighted to see my tulips pushing through winter's barrier. I noticed them springing from the rock-clad earth in their emerald majesty, asserting their desire to grow and bloom. But now they've hit a snag, or so it seems. The cold and the snow from Colorado's March snowstorms have cloaked them in a chill that temporarily suspends their growth.

Life can be like that, and sometimes we can feel a bit like those tulips. Things are clipping along, we're accomplishing what we need, and then we're emotionally or spiritually covered in a chilly dusting of snow.

Perhaps the path we'd been on seems troublesome to follow. It's not difficult to assume all is lost, our goals are slipping from our grasp. For me, I'm recovering from an accident that has me struggling physically and mentally. My mind is foggy, and I'm unable to be as productive as I'd like. I feel as if I've been benched from the business of living these past three months.

For the tulips, the late-winter snow is a blessing. My dad used to call a late snowfall poor-man's fertilizer. Turns out that expression is more than folklore. Snow has nutrients and, of course, moisture. What seems like a hindrance is actually beneficial. Snow that falls on thawed earth penetrates into the soil, delivering nutrients and moisture that promote growth and health.

So if you feel like you've been stuck or hindered by the unpredicted, don't stress. Maybe you've been put in a place to receive a blessing.

I've been wondering about this lately: what possible blessing could come from the challenge I've experienced? I don't know the answer, but I'm confident there will be a blessing. A friend told me all the pain, struggles, and setbacks I've endured since the end of December could be to bless someone else—someone who's been watching me deal with all this. Honestly, I'm fine with that. (To God be the glory!)

Perhaps you've also been "stuck" to learn a lesson. Open your eyes, and move forward. There's always hope. As a prisoner of hope, that's the promise I'm holding on to.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4 (The Message)