Don't Ever Give Up Hope

Out of nowhere in the rosebushes my dad planted in our backyard, there is one small rose bush that bloomed late, but has 25+ blooms in one brilliant cluster of red :) So miraculous, incredible, beautiful! Praise You, God, for another amazing and surprising gift!

And to me, those flowers are a visible symbol of God's faithfulness and promise to work all things together for good. It is always good to wait on God - whatever season of life we find ourselves in - in all of life's ups and downs. He knows best. Waiting on God can be so challenging at times, but it is always so worth it in the end!

 Reminds me of a passage from a book and of several Bible verses:

"Are you trusting God and waiting? . . . Perhaps you've prayed and prayed, but God hasn't answered. Your prayers seem like bulbs planted in a winter garden. Each time you check for results, all you see is barrenness, debris, and frost. You doubt the warmth of the faith you felt when you first planted the prayers in a season of light and hope. Patience, dear God Lover. Nothing is wrong with your prayers. Leave all of them safely hidden with the Lord. Hold fast to the hope that He has heard and is at work in the garden of your heart. One bright spring morning you will be stunned when you see what God's resurrection power has done with those requests you buried so long ago."

-from Praying for Your Future Husband by Robin Jones Gunn and Tricia Goyer

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

-Proverbs 13:12

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 

Don't give up hope! God is already at work on your behalf! And one day, you will look up and be astounded and awe-struck! :)