Hidden Clues in Creation

One of the main reasons I decided to invest in our little backyard farm was to create a special place of healing and restoration for me and my mom. I did a lot of research and wanted it to include a combination of veggies, flowers, plants, and pollinators to invite added sensory enjoyment to help with sustaining mom’s cognitive functioning as long as possible. About a year before mom died (having no idea her death would come when it did) I went in search of planting 3 trees. I asked her which ones she wanted and one of the 1st ones she said was “How about an apple tree?”I didn’t want just any ole apple tree, so I searched high and low and found a variety I had never heard of or tasted before - The Black Arkansas Apple Tree - sweet, tart, and crunchy on the inside. It came looking so pitiful – stubby, barren, and dead.

Clearly it wasn’t dead, the roots were very much alive, but I couldn’t imagine one day it looking like something that would give us big juicy black/purple apples.

I planted it around October of 2020 and in faith with hopeful expectation thought I would have to wait to see

an sign of an apple for years. One year from the time I planted it, a few short months from the date of my mom’s death October 8th, 2021, I stumbled with my grief to the emergence of our 1st apples. I’m not sure how you might see nature and creation, but I can tell you God hides so much of Himself in it. He reveals His processes, clues to living well, enduring long-suffering, persevering heartbreak, and uncertainty through His creation. If we can slow down long enough, be present enough, lean into the hard parts of life conscientiously enough we can perceive God and see Him in ways that will alter how we see and move through this world. God’s creation has become a direct link to hearing whispers of His love, being immediately transformed into His presence, and being swept away with His faithfulness to uplift my soul.

So, if on a journey of uncertainty, discouragement, or sorrow, or even a high place but still seeking greater purpose, I offer encouragement and assurance that the Lord’s creation can do that for you too - carry you through the deep waters into the cocoon of His loving arms