Beauty in the midst...

I work part-time at a hospital, and although I do not work in the front lines, it is difficult.  The other day was exceptionally tough. On my way to my office, I saw hospital staff leaving in tears, yelling in their cellphones, generally angry and stressed.  So much turmoil for 6:00 a.m.  I didn’t ask questions, deeming it inappropriate.  For the next four hours, I heard the Flight for Life landing five or six times, bringing in those who were too sick to come to the hospital themselves.  I heard that the lack PPE equipment continued, more things were being done to handle the deaths and some of our staff, who has been helping sanitize PPE’s, was in tears about the things they heard during the late night/early morning hours.  I was at a loss for words.  So, I prayed. Prayed for medical staff on the front lines, for those COV19 testing, for those holding hands of people who were so sick staff didn’t know if they would survive, for the families who could not visit them, for those dying alone, for lack of supplies, hospital beds, people protesting the “safer at home” restrictions…..the list goes on and on.  There have been times when I have cried, missing my family and friends.  I am sure you have too. 

On my drive home that day, through my tears, I saw the above.   One single beautiful flower blooming on the side of a large hill.  There was nothing around it except for dead grass and sticks.  What a beautiful picture of Jesus.  Scripture .says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 that Scripture says “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not forsaken; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies, .  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you”.

What does this mean for you and me?  Simply, that we will all die someday.  However, what really is important is that for those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, life is in us.  We can live confidently that even if we are feeling crushed, perplexed and possibly feeling forsaken as we struggle with being confined and restricted, we can live like there is life inside us.  Which there is!

How about instead of complaining about what we don’t have, we look at what we do have?  Seeing the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ and who He is; what we have available in Him.  Let’s look at the beautiful blooming flower rather than the dead grass and sticks.  Our lives will be different if we do.