The Jonquils Are Back!

Do not grow weary in doing good

(2 Thessalonians 3:13)

They’re back – the beautiful yellow jonquils that signal the end of winter and the arrival of spring.  They seem to pop up everywhere; bravely withstanding the blustery winds and chilling temperatures that often occur in early Spring.  How we welcome their annual arrival!

There is a stretch of road not far from my home that I like to travel during this season of the year.  At one particular spot, the road makes two sharp curves.  Here anticipation rises because I know that just beyond the second bend lies a beautiful sight -- a meandering bed of lovely yellow blooms growing against a background of lush green grass.  They line the fence row and ditch along one side of the highway for about a quarter of a mile at which point they turn and follow a long lane that leads to a house set back in the woods.

It seems that almost half a century ago, the woman who lived in the house had quite a green thumb.  She had many flowers that bloomed around her home, the most prolific of which were jonquils.  As her flower beds became overcrowded, finding herself unable to dispose of a single one, she began transplanting the jonquils along the fence that bordered her lane.

Each year she began where she had left off the previous spring until at last she reached the end of the lane where it intersected with a main road.  She didn’t stop there.  Instead, she turned the corner and continued her annual transplanting until finally reaching the boundary of her property. A single row of jonquils graced the site of her plantings then, but with the passage of time, the plants multiplied and spread to include the adjacent ground.

It is doubtful that the lady with the green thumb and abundance of flowers could have envisioned the result of her efforts as she prepared the rocky soil, planted the bulbs, and faithfully carried water to keep them alive.  But over the years the flowers have delighted others besides myself as they herald the coming of spring.

Jonquils by nature bloom only a short time. They are soon gone and the area takes on the appearance of the surrounding ditches and pastures.  But long after the blossoms have faded and disappeared, the beautiful image replays in my mind.

As I think of the jonquils and the long-ago deceased woman who planted and cared for them, I am reminded that each day we all do things that, at the time, may seem inconsequential.  We may even feel a little foolish for spending so much time and energy on them, yet little can we know the lasting effect our deeds may have on someone else now or in the future.  We can rest assured that anything we do will be beneficial if we do it to please our Heavenly Father, for He has promised to reward our efforts:

Whatever you do, do it heartedly, as to the Lord and not to men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the 

reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ

(Colossians 3:23-24)

It is not important how great or small the things we accomplish in our lifetime on Earth.  What is important is that we do our best, keep on doing what we know to do, and leave the results with the Lord.

                                                 Lord, bless the things I do each day,
                                                 how I live and what I say;
                                                 Help me hear Your soft command,
                                                 and live each day as You have planned.
                                                 Bless the things I find to do;
                                                 help me do them just for You;
                                                 And when my life on Earth is o’er,
                                                 multiply and make them more.