Our yearly vacation to Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada, the largest fresh water island in the world, could not come soon enough. The island is so welcoming and beautiful. One day as I was walking along the rock formation by the water’s edge, I saw something that I have since been pondering: a delicate purple flower growing out of the rock. As I came closer to inspect, I saw the flower’s stem protruding out of a tiny crack in the rock, and I wondered how such a thing could be possible. The flower seemed to have pierced through the rock, an object so hard that no one could break it with their hand. But at the same time, the stem of the flower could easily be broken. I am sure that there is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon, but to me, it is a miracle of God’s creation and power.

I am thinking that somehow a tiny seed lodged in that very tiny crack and, in time, pierced and grew in the rock, and reached its petals towards the sun to capture the rain that made it grow into the beautiful, bell-like flower.

Have you ever noticed how a tiny flower can pierce through asphalt? This frequently happens in our driveway: a fragile, wild plant pushing its way through asphalt.

This phenomenon made me think of our individual lives when trials come our way. Sometimes, we feel like the burden is too much to carry, just like a depth of asphalt, a heavy rock, or a confining crevice that we find ourselves struggling to get out of, longing to breathe some fresh air. It is at times like these that we need to call out to our Creator, Who will help us and save us. He may choose to remove the situation that we may find ourselves in, or to take us away from it. But if not, He will grant us the strength, peace, power, and endurance to push through whatever we are going through at that moment. And we, too, with God’s help, will pierce through the asphalt, like that tiny flower, and grow and shine as God’s light illumines us.

James 1:2-4 – Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (NLT)

Prayer: Creator God, You show us miracles every day; grant us to see them. Help us to remember to call on You when we are faced with trials that put us into a depression or a feeling of hopelessness that we can’t come out of. We thank You for listening and raising us up to shine Your light to others. Amen.

Rosemary Hagedorn
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada