Monday in the First Week of Lent
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8
As I brush off the debris that has collected on the patio during this long and harsh winter, I notice some supple twigs among the rubbish. A few downed slender branches of forsythia show new growth. These are not the dead branches of last fall, but new shoots that have been broken off in the recent ice and wind.
New life can be brave and tender. I admire the courage of the bush to boldly put forth new growth into this questionable spring, so late in coming. And along with this boldness, vulnerability.
I too yearn to unfold new shoots, perhaps more tentatively than the forsythia. Even so, I lift my face to the sun, trusting in God's mercy, knowing that safely planted in God’s house my tender green spirit will be imbued with the strength and courage to thrive.
