Beauty In Out of the Way Places

I am so ready for spring. It comes slow here in the Inland Northwest, and I have been eagerly awaiting the first bloom I can spy in my yard. My daffodils and tulips are still only half-grown stalks and my anniversary rosebush is a mass of dry, twig looking stems with only a faint brush of green to prove there is any life inside. My little planter area I cultivated last summer has been extremely barren, due mostly to the fact that I planted almost all annuals. Ever since my sweet hubby gifted me with a potential rosebush (a mass of stems in a hunk of dirt!) early last summer, I have eagerly anticipated the day when I will enjoy a big, healthy, climbing shrub bearing lush, extravagant roses! So, as soon as the snow melted enough to where I could see the plant again, I began checking for signs that my rose had survived the harsh winter. Sure enough, green began to spread through the little stalks, but slowly. Almost everyday when I walk up the steps to the porch, I glance at the bush, and not much seems to change. Brown deadness seems to keep my rose's growth stagnated, and I have been disappointed.

However, this morning, as I traipsed down the driveway to Bible study, something purple caught my eye. About 3 feet to the right of my rosebush, tucked away in a corner amidst a tangle of last year's lifeless plants, was a single, delicate pansy. While I had been obsessed with my rosebush, and longing for it's showy blooms to materialize, this little, unpretentious pansy had come to life and blossomed without any fanfare. I was so moved and throughout Bible study, God's gift of this little flower tugged at my heart. It was as if the Lord dropped this thought into my mind: "Sometimes I work quietly and beautifully in out of the way places, where you aren't even looking."

WOW! My eyes welled up with tears as I realized how I often I long for God to work in "showy", extravagant ways, when many times just as important (or more) are the things He is doing where we least expect it. Isn't it just like God to do that? How refreshed and encouraged my spirit was when I thought of how often God brings beauty out of the least likely people and circumstances, and how often I neglect to see where He is working, as I become distracted with the things I want to happen! The roses I want to bloom!

Father, please draw my eyes continually to where Your "pansies" are sprouting in the least likely places in my world!