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Joy and Peace

           May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

 

I spent the morning pulling the weeds out of my new garden beds and planting most of the remaining potted plants. There’s still maintenance and clean-up to do – leveling the border stones, cleaning the pots and tools, etc., but it’s basically done. I also have basically finished raising 19 monarch caterpillars. They’ll be in their chrysalises so all I have to do is wait for them to emerge. There are a few little caterpillars still munching, but the big push is over.

Both plants/gardens and butterflies seem to be symbols of hope. With plants, I can understand it because they provide food and oxygen. I’m not sure why we respond so positively to butterflies. Perhaps there is an instinctual understanding that butterflies tend to signal a healthy environment. I know they’re also colorful, cute, and carefree, but I don’t understand how that produces hope. Suffice that it seems to do so, at least for me, and therefore this verse is a good choice for today.

So, God is the God of hope. It is as He fills us with joy and peace that we fill up and overflow with hope. And all this happens because of the power of the Holy Spirit. Going back to my definition of joy as being the firm conviction that one is cared for by someone who is capable (or the response to that firm conviction,) it is God’s revelation of Himself that creates the joy, peace, and hope because we learn that He can and does take care of us. That is among the functions of the Holy Spirit, as our Teacher and Counselor.

So seeking a vision for what God wants for me, or for my neighborhoods, or whatever isn’t really about seeking a vision for them. It’s about seeking a clearer vision of Him and of His relationship with me or them. I'm not sure how it all plays out in the details of life, but the point is that it's all inter-connected. 

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