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Sunflowers and Seeds of Hope

For many people in our country today, life feels bleak! We’ve come through a pandemic and are now trying to survive a cost-of-living crisis and the political turmoil that surround us. The war in Ukraine goes on and during COP27 we will be reminded of the global catastrophe that we are sleepwalking into unless we can take the necessary steps to combat climate change.

Finding life in unexpected places

A few months ago, I came across these beautiful sunflowers. They had grown in a field full of weeds, and I was surprised to see them flourishing in that spot.

I had missed the signs of life

These were either the worlds fasted growing sunflowers, or I had missed the signs of life and growth that were there when I walked past a few weeks earlier. When life feels hard, it’s easy to lose sense of all that is good among the weeds and rubbish that surround us.

Where is God in the Chaos?

As I looked at the flowers I was reminded of God at work. With so much in the world feeling like the field of weeds, I was reminded to look for signs of God bringing about new life and growth. Every in a baren and lifeless field, something that is healthy and beautiful can grow.

Will we look for and nurture new life?

When life feels tough, it’s easy to lose sight of God and the ways he is at work. When we feel like we are wading through mud, alongside our prayers of ‘why lord’ and ‘help’, I hope that we will also cry out to God for his perspective. When we find new forms of spiritual life, growth and people finding fullness of life, I pray that God would help us to prioritise and to work towards helping to protect that life and to see it flourish.

Planting seeds of hope

In amongst the bleakness of life, we can join God in planting seeds of hope.

Churches have often been at the forefront of helping those in need. Many of us have been involved in foodbanks for years and this winter some churches are providing warm banks. Some churches go beyond meeting the immediate need and are creating opportunities for people to receive advice and support in these places and perhaps job clubs. Even better still some are joining the excellent work of JPIT and others as we call the government to account and campaign for societal change. Planting seeds of hope for the poor, involves so much more than just immediate help. May we continue to become people who are working towards and helping people to escape from poverty.

In the stresses of life, I hope we can be people who are willing to offer comfort and prayer as well as the gift of peace and fullness of life that Jesus wants to give. At this point in the life of our nation, we need to share Jesus, more than ever. We don’t do this to claim spiritual scalps, but rather because he is the giver of life! We thank Jesus that his seeds of hope will result in lives full of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

As COP27 goes on, there will be much news coverage and advice given on ways we can work together to save the planet. We will be hearing about the poorest in our world and how climate change is having a devastating impact for them now. For the sake of these people who are made in the image of God, may we be willing to plant seeds of hope as we listen to them and together make the changes necessary to combat climate change.

This week’s thought was written by Graeme Ross, EBA Regional Minister