The crocus arrived just at the right time. If God has favorites, surely the crocus must be one of His favorite flowers.

I have long thought that God planned for this tiny little flower to bloom in the spring because if it came along in July, its delicate melody would be drowned out by the boisterous shouting of tall and robust perennials. No one would notice little clusters of crocuses fighting for space in the flower beds of mid-summer. Now, though, against the bare ground or sometimes poking its color above the snow like a flag of hope, the crocus is celebrated and cherished.

The purple crocus along my sidewalk arrived in perfect timing this week. It sent a breath of hope and newness and cheer into my week, just when I needed it.

Do you notice all those things that arrive at just the right time, just when you need them? A call from a friend, sunshine, a devotional or a Scripture, a hug, an affirming word, the sudden memory of where you put your car keys, an out-of-the-blue reminder of something important … that you had forgotten.  

Ann Voskamp writes about all the gifts that God places in each day, seemingly small things that make up our lives. Some people would call these things coincidences. Ann calls them “the pulse of His love” for us*, and I agree with her.

Even some of those things that seem to “go wrong” turn out to be gifts. We’re often frustrated or disappointed, but don’t see until later that good has come out of the situation. God’s gifts are sometimes packaged in ways we would never expect.

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
      He delights in every detail of their lives.

He is there, in every moment of my day. And I believe the purple crocus, just what I needed that day, was a gift from Him.

*

Quote from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Scripture: Psalm 37:23 (NLT)