I saw bluebells today,
The first of the season,
Mingled with stitchwort,
Adorning the banks
Of the lanes as I pass.
There were lambs in the fields,
Playing games in the sun,
As their mothers grazed
On the lush green grass
And rooks wheeled in the wind.
Some little grey wagtails
Bobbed at the canal side,
And tree reflections
Graced the still waters
As a swan glided by.
Surrounded by beauty,
The work of a Master,
A smile tugs my lips,
But my heart questions,
And I wonder, “Why me?”
Why should I enjoy this
While others are broken,
Trapped by a virus,
Or ravished by war,
Or confined to a prison?
How can I relish spring
While others face winter?
A season of pain
And greater darkness
Than I will ever know.
All creation is groaning,
Redemption seems far off,
The ‘last days’ linger,
Winter is endless,
My smile doesn’t form.
Is beauty mocking me,
Making a nonsense of
The faith I profess?
Why should I be blessed
While faithful ones suffer?
Or is it God’s goodness –
A sign He still cares,
A reminder of
What God intended
When He first made the world?
He made it to dazzle,
A place of perfection,
A garden of joy –
God present with us,
Enjoying each other.
Our damaged world today
Is humanity’s
fault.
Glimpses of beauty
Are signs of God’s
grace,
That we’re not forgotten.
I can let my smile out
Without feeling guilty;
My heart can rejoice
That God is still good –
As it was, it will be.
The flowers of today
Speak hope for tomorrow,
Of all things renewed,
Restored and redeemed,
In all of creation.
By Katherine O’Donnell
