I spent much of the last, long, lockdown months looking out from our lounge window, wondering if anything would ever grow again. A combination of the long winter, pruning, constant frosts seemed to take its toll on our garden. However, as I write at the end of May, the peonies and poppies are just about to explode with colour, and the garden looks fabulous. No doubt this is a response to all the rain we’ve had, as well as the warmer weather. I can’t help but think that the outside natural world is imitating how we all feel. We’re slowly emerging from a terrible time into what we all hope will be something more like ‘normality’.
Water is a sign of the Holy Spirit for Christians. Whilst some people refer to him as the Holy Ghost, he is far from absent. He is the third person of the Trinity, bringing the life-giving water of life to those who ask for it. You could say that he is the Divine Gardener who ensures that God’s created world is kept green and alive. Many still pray in church today for the Spirit to ‘rain down’.
We need God’s Spirit in our daily lives, just as much as we need that Yorkshire rain in our gardens to keep them green and fresh. As we emerge from this pandemic, the Spirit of God is with us. He encourages us to keep our eyes on God’s truth and follow him. He comforts us as we grieve for the world, the life and the loved ones we’ve lost.
The Spirit fills us each day and enables us to live as God’s people. Let’s ask him to rain down in our lives, families and our communities, to keep our hearts fresh and alive for him.
Every blessing
Angela