Resurrection

In 2016, we bought my Grandparents' house. We began the process of gutting and adding onto it, and because we did much of the work ourselves (mainly my husband!), it was 2018 when we finally moved in. Last year, during the Covid-19 shutdown, we tried to stay busy. We acquired chickens and goats. My husband built a much needed shelving/storage unit in our office/homeschool room. And, we landscaped our yard.

We put in a large flower bed in the front of the house and began filling it. The front yard also has a rock, heart-shaped pond that my Granddaddy and my Mother built. It was a goldfish pond before my time. By the time we kids were playing here, it mainly filled with rainwater and we played in it. When I was older, it was turned into a flower bed.

Last year, we cleaned it out. My husband built a sifter, and we literally sifted out all the sticks and debris that had accumulated over the years. We added new soil, and placed my bird bath in the center. Because it is in a shady area, we filled it with caladiums, hostas, and impatiens.

In July, an interesting flower appeared.

I had not planted it.

I absolutely had no idea how it got into the bed. Remember, we sifted all the dirt and I knew exactly what was planted there.

It was beautiful! It was a lily and was soft pink with purplish/bluish edges. I cut a few and put them in my vase to enjoy in the house. I looked it up and discovered it was called a "resurrection lily" or a "surprise lily." I thought it was a happy surprise indeed!!

I was so excited this spring when I saw the green leaves appear. There were so many of them, and I just knew my surprise lily had multiplied!! I waited, and waited, and waited to see a bloom. (I honestly did not remember when it had bloomed last year so I just kept checking for blooms.) Because it was not blooming, I started to wonder if maybe it had not survived our week of deep snow and the green leaves I was seeing this year were not even the same plant. And then, the tips of the leaves started turning. They turned yellow, and the leaves started wilting and I was horrified! I thought maybe they had drowned because of all the rain we were getting in the spring. I also wondered if our poodle, Finn, had trampled them on the way to get a drink from the birdbath. They continued to wilt and finally died without having ever produced a single flower. I was sad. In 2020, a year filled with so much uncertainty, that little surprise flower had mysteriously appeared and brought me so much joy. Alas, it was not to be in 2021.

Or so I thought.

Imagine my sheer delight last week when I saw a green shoot with a flower bud push up from the very spot it bloomed last year.

I was SO EXCITED!! They grow so fast, and I have loved taking pictures of their growth from day to day.

I decided to research them and discovered that the green shoots ARE the lily. They sprout and grow all spring and then, start yellowing and dying.

{The ONLY reason I did not dig the dead leaves out (and they were absolutely dead!) was because I *hoped* it was only too much rain that caused them to wilt and perhaps the bulbs would survive until next year.}

Then, once all the leaves had died and disintegrated, the flowers, with no leaves, sprout and bloom in July. Hence, the "resurrection."

And, yes, I know they go by several names, but I think "resurrection lily" is by far my favorite.

I think that's because it reminds me of Jesus. It brings to mind His sacrifice, His death and burial, and ultimately, His resurrection!

When all hope seems lost, God is working behind the scenes.

He is taking what once was old and making it new.

He is breathing new life into what once was dead.

He is bringing beauty from ashes.

I am thankful for a God who sends us reminders of His great love in even the simple things. He is SO GOOD!