Bulbs

BULBS – And other dead things  

ECCLESIASTES 3:11 11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  

It’s always good to be home after being away.  And on my first week back, I was pondering what I might blog on.  There are big issues in the news these days – sky rocketing COVID rates in Canada and around the world, an upcoming election in a divided America, a global economic crisis, racial unrest throughout Canada and the U.S., a non-confidence vote in our parliament and we just finished an election here in BC.  I am aware of all of these events and yet none of them inspire me to write.  Is this a symptom of COVID fatigue?  Am I feeling like the world is spinning out of control and I have no power or influence? I’m don’t know why; I just know that I often feel like a detached observer to events that have the ability to change the world in a profound way.  

But as I pulled up to the church this week, one of our dedicated volunteers was out in the front flower bed planting daffodil bulbs and I was reminded that we are fundamentally a people of hope. As I come to the realization that I really have no control over all these events that I fret and worry over, I remember that I don’t need to control them.  I am not alone. We are not alone. The one that raised Christ from the dead is with us – now and always. The bulbs we plant may seem insignificant but they are not—for God brings forth new life, from that which we fear is dead.  

So, I continue to social distance, be enraged at how seniors in care are sometimes treated, speak of a green economy, call out politicians who are behaving unethically, encourage people to vote, stand up for the rights of all humans but especially visible minorities, and hopefully try to make the government accountable for its actions.  

Then and it’s a very big THEN – I need to let it go and turn it over to the one who promises us new life.  Once I take the bulb and place it gently in the hole and cover it with soil, it is out of my hands.  And so, it is in life.  I cannot hold the burden of the world on my shoulders. I trust in the love, compassion and the infinite wisdom of a God who created and is creating; knowing that things will grow and bloom as they should, and life will be good.  

Amen