Monthly Archives: October 2023

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Hope That Doesn’t Lead to Disappointment

Back in May I wrote about the freeze that killed some of my plants and left me wondering about the viability of others. That blog post is below.

https://wordpress.com/post/ourfathersdaughters.com/5632

I love flowers and thanks to family, especially my father, and generous friends, we have a large variety of flowers that bloom in our yard year after year. Last year my various hydrangeas bloomed profusely.

  • purple (from Deanna) I gave away over 30 blooms and had vases full on our table for weeks
  • pink (rehabbed from “reduced for quick sale”) about 20 blooms
  • blue (from our daughter Salem’s first home in Virginia) too numerous to count.
  • white (here when we moved here – planted by Peggy Queen Mason) bloomed so abundantly I gave bunches away.

This year –

  • no purple
  • no pink
  • blue – just now blooming! 8 blossoms so far
  • white – lots like last year

Blue hydrangeas are my absolute favorite flower and they set their buds early in the spring. A late freeze is always a concern for these non-native perennials. A late freeze in April killed the buds on the blue, purple, and pink varieties. No blooms in late spring. Yet this year, because we have not had a freeze yet, those plants that didn’t bloom in May are blooming now. There are buds ALL over them, but most will not fully mature before a freeze sometime later this month. So, I am enjoying the few I have.

My family can attest to the disappointment I feel when my beloved hydrangeas freeze. Yet I also realize that compared to the deep sorrows many in our world are facing, frozen flowers are insignificant. All throughout our lives we will face disappointment – and worse – because we live in a broken, fallen world. Sorrow and loss are a part of living on this planet. The challenge comes then in the way I face disappointment and loss. Will I focus on the loss – what I don’t have? Will I enjoy what I do have? Will I view my adverse circumstances as barriers to following Jesus or opportunities for Jesus to meet me in the midst of my suffering? Paul wrote about this in Romans and Paul recently had experienced beatings and imprisonment!

Romans 5:4-6 NLT
4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

No matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, our ultimate salvation is assured. Jesus died and rose again and broke the power of sin and death.

That hope and assurance will NEVER lead to disappointment.

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Watch for Snakes in the Garden

I was weeding at our daughter’s home in Maryland last week and something moved just where I had pulled up a bunch of weeds. I looked closer and it was a small snake – the one pictured above. It was only about 8 inches long but I soon realized it was a copperhead because of the pattern and the shape of the head. I am not generally afraid of snakes, yet when I recognized that it was a poisonous snake my first reaction was thankfulness that I had not grabbed it.

Look how camouflaged the snake is among the dead leaves! I weed a lot and I rarely stop to think about snakes in the grass or garden. I am always on high alert for poison ivy because I am highly allergic and dislike the rash and blisters that form. Snakes are a different story. They move, seeming to appear out of nowhere when we are unaware. A fellow teacher once stepped on a copperhead that had evidently been sunning itself on her doorstep. It bit her and she ended up in the hospital for two weeks. Poisonous snakes must be taken seriously.

Temptation to sin is like that in our lives. When we notice it – like poison ivy – we can avoid it. If we aren’t expecting it – like a snake in the garden – it can overwhelm us before we realize what has happened. I can be tempted to envy what someone has that I don’t have. Knowing this I need to avoid comparing my belongings to someone else’s. Instead of coveting their possessions, I must cultivate an attitude of gratitude for what I possess and rejoice that others are blessed. It is hard to envy someone and be thankful that God has blessed them at the same time.

I Corinthians 10:13 says –

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

If I spend hours scrolling on Pinterest it will usually cause me to covet or envy. God has provided a way out – turn it off. Just as I avoid places where snakes like to slither, I must recognize and avoid places of temptation. A grateful, thankful heart is the best protection for envy and covetousness. I need to cultivate those qualities in my heart.