The sun feels so good this early morning. I’m walking Penelope down the sidewalk, cool in the shade of the old oaks but when I step from the shade to the sun, instantly I feel the wonderful warmth of the golden rays. God did well when he gifted us the yellow sun, hung high in the heavens to light the day and warm the earth. As I study the deep blue sky, I see a pale white crescent moon high up in the cloudless sky. The day is so beautiful, Mr. Waning Crescent Moon is not quite ready for bed. The next time I look up he’s tucked in his blue sky quilt, resting to take center stage for his pageant of the nightscape.

As I return to my porch, I can’t help but notice the delicate beauty of the pansy blooms in the urns on my porch bannisters. The little velveteen faces are painted in the vivid watercolors of Mother Nature and God’s palettes, mortal man cannot mix these deep colors. Sometimes the pansies bow their heads in prayer only to stand up later straight and tall. This morning their soft faces are upturned in thanks for the day’s warmth, standing at attention in their deep green winter uniforms.

The pansies gentle nature bring thoughts of hope and peace. “Its little face whispers to each one of us that there is hope,” Flowers Bloom Hope. Pansies are strong little beauties, holding their heads up in freezing rain and snow, thawing out perfectly, their velveteen faces just as pretty as before frozen. I immediately thought of how our Christian faith is like the pansy bloom. Our faith helps us be resilient and gives us the strength to carry on in life’s difficult situations. We nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study giving us time to root our beliefs and blossom.

Our faith gives us resilience and endurance, helping us to bloom during life’s challenging times. We’re not hindered by adversity because God stands with us, giving us the ability to keep going when life is harsh. Pansies won’t flourish without water, fertilizer, and hours of sunshine just as our faith needs prayer and scripture reading to blossom and thrive.

Reading about pansies today, I found that pansies are symbols of the Holy Trinity. “The three-colored petals of the pansy (often purple, yellow, and white) are sometimes seen as a symbol of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), providing a visual metaphor for the core tenets of some Christian faiths.”

Pansies symbolize love and remembrance and compassion. “Nobody can keep on being angry if she looks into the heart of a pansy for a little while,” Lucy Maud Montgomery. As I take photos of the delicate blooms, I see them as nostalgic, their beautiful soft faces reminding me of older family members no longer with us.

The pansies have the ability to bloom and thrive in the harsh conditions of cold weather. Our faith holds strong in life’s adversity. Learn to bloom where you’re planted, continuously spreading God’s light and love in the gardens of your life. Our faith in God helps us bloom with the light of his Holy Spirit.

“Bloom with grace, courage, and resilience, and inspire others to do the same.” – Merrymaker Sisters