Hymn of Promise

It was cold and dark all around. He time was spent waiting. He so wanted to feel the warmth of the sun, but all around him was cold and dark. Would this time of isolation ever end?

Ever so slowly he could feel things changing around him. First was the subtle shift. It wasn't quite as cold. He could almost feel again. Slowly, ever so slowly he began to thaw. Wisps of warmth reached him--even in the depth of his being.

As he warmed, everything around him began a subtle shift as well. The tightness and pressure he felt loosened. He could stretch slightly and felt himself changing. Hope was once more born within him. He felt himself slowly unfurl and reached upward towards the warmth above.

Tentatively he pushed himself, stretching, reaching for what he instinctively knew was there, but could not yet see. Eventually he felt himself break free of the dark confines. Growing toward the warmth of the sun he pushed out of the darkness and into the world beyond.

He was still uncertain as to his welcome in this world. At first he remained small, and near the earth. However, with the warmth of the sun and rain to drink, he soon found himself growing, standing tall . . . reaching to become. His leaves unfurled and he could feel himself growing, changing. As the rays of the sun gave him nourishment he opened himself to the world--a bright, beautiful flower.

He stood tall in the fallen leaf matter all around him and sang praises to his creator. He plunged his roots firmly into the ground below him so that he could stand tall and proud--bringing beauty into the formerly barren world. Rooted, he could withstand the rains of spring and proclaim the promise:

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;

In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,

Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. (Hymn of Promise)

God's promise to sustain him had been real. He had endured the cold of winter to a spring of new life.

We often find ourselves lost in the winter of despair. God has promised never to leave or forsake us. We need to wait patiently, feed upon the Word of God, and know that God's sustaining love will help us change into the promise of what God sees within us--of what we are to become.

God of promise, when we are alone, huddled into our self, and shivering from the cold, we know you are there. Help us to remember your words, your ways, and to allow the change to come from within. As we grow with you, help us to remain rooted and unafraid to stretch into what you have created us to be. Help us to be your Hymn of Promise, to follow your ways, bask in your love, and share you with the world around us. So be it. Amen.