For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. —Romans 15:4

Friday, September 14, 2012

Leap for Joy


Psalm 28:6-8
Praise be to the
 Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.
The Lord is the strength of his people,
    a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

When I planted my patch of zinnias, I read the seed packet and found that the flowers might grow to about three feet tall. I’m not sure what happened, whether the soil had been fertilized or the hot summer called them upward, but they raised their heads about five-and-half feet towards the sun. One evening the rain pounded and brought the flowers to their knees. They drooped across the walkway to our door. Until I could buy a bit of fencing to correct the problem, I tied the giant stems to a couple of dowel rods. While I worked on the greenery, I spied the tiniest frog. He couldn’t have been more than a half inch long. He sat there is his beautiful green skin that camouflaged him on the leaf. I watched him for a few minutes, until he disappeared into the flower bed.

That little creature, even in his fleeting travels, brought joy to my heart. I am amazed at God’s creation over and over again. As I thought about that little guy living in the beauty of the colorful blossoms, I was reminded of God and the joy that he planted in my heart when I chose to believe in him. Sometimes the joy is overshadowed by doubt or anger. There are times that I forget the joy. Then God reminds me once again that his joy overcomes my distress. I want to leap for joy like the little frog leaped across the leaves, with an appreciation and praise for my awesome God. 

1 comment:

  1. Frogs are amazing. We saw lots of colorful specimens in the rain forest. When we lived in the country, my favorite sign of spring was the singing of the frogs.

    You like frogs and zinnias. We must be kindred spirits!

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