Looking for Spring in the City

I walked through Madison Square Park in New York City on a cold and blustery morning just before the official start of spring. Harrumph, I thought grumpily, spring feels as far away as the moon. The temperature hovered in the 20s, and the frigid wind stung my face. I scoffed at the trees around me. They were just as barren and brown as they were in the middle of winter. I may have even muttered under my breath, someone tell Mother Nature that March 20th is just two days away. 

Just then, I sensed a soul whisper that said slow down and look a little more carefully. I did and almost laughed out loud. On the tree I had just passed, one of many that I had deemed barren and bare, was a branch with tiny green buds. That’s precisely what  I had come to the park hoping to see. I love those first, tender green buds of spring. They always remind me that no matter how long, cold, or dark the winter is, it always gives way to spring, new life, brighter days, and hope. It wasn’t just that tree that was heralding spring. I also saw tiny blooms and buds on the plants as I looked down. I had almost missed these sights because I hadn’t expected to see them.  I had been in a crabby mood that morning, and the bitter cold only worsened.

I wondered how often I missed God’s signs of new life, brighter days, and hope because I was not really looking. My vision was clouded by fear and a focus on what was wrong. 

I’ve included photos from the park that morning. One is a wide shot of the canopy of trees with seemingly no sign of spring. Another is a close-up of a few tree branches with small, emerging leaves. Two other photos show plants. One looks like it’s sprouting clusters of miniature shiso leaves. Another has bunches of tiny yellow-tipped trumpet-like flowers. These photos remind me to look through the eyes of faith because our God is infinitely faithful and loving. God is not only the master gardener who makes the trees bud and the flowers bloom, but God is also the gardener of my heart. I’m so grateful God saw those negative thoughts that morning and nipped them in the bud. It’s easy for them to grow quickly, filling my heart with complaints, worry, and anxiety, leaving little room for gratitude, faith, joy, peace, and hope to grow. May God tend the garden of our hearts today and every day.

Lamentations 3:22–23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Shared by Patricia Wu.