Day 2

My son, Joshua, and I went exploring with a church group on the Colorado River in Texas just above Lake Buchanan. We intended to "sh, but the river was swollen by rains upstream. #e "shing was terrible, but exploring was fun.

We watched a crane as he dove o$ a towering rock ledge and %apped and cruised his way upward in spiral %ight. We caught a glimpse of a huge alligator gar looking for food along the bank of the muddy river. We saw ten thousand mud martins darting in and out of the cli$s.

And we spied a lone cactus, wedged in a slit on a sheer rock cli$, thirty feet from the ground, its deep red blossoms startling the eye on the face of that grim gray wall.

God did that. Only He could create such a seed, so hungry for life, able to sprout with a hint of soil, then send its tender roots into the crack, groping for moisture. Only God could make that cactus, suspended on the cli$, "nd a hold and produce a full bouquet of beautiful %owers.

Maybe you feel like a cactus grasping for footholds on the rock. Sometimes I feel that way.#e world seems stern, maybe even cruel; times are hard. You are barely hanging on. #e Great Landscaper of the universe sets a splash of brilliant red amid the rocks, transforming the foreboding into the intriguing.

Watch him do this today with your virus-infected landscape.

Don’t let the coronavirus dominate your mind and spirit. #ink about the Lenten season. We rehearse each year during those days the passion of our Lord in that last week of His life on earth.

We see the response of Jesus amid the harsh stone, the great di&culty. Stripped and beaten, mocked and ridiculed,

He hung suspended on nails in front of a crowd. What will He do now, this holy man from Nazareth?

He will forgive His executioners. He will care for His mother. He will promise paradise to a thief. He will "nish His work. Here we have a bouquet of blossoms on a sheer rock wall, the beauty of holiness hanging on a cross. We are startled by this man from Galilee. He hurls no insults, but through the mist of pain sees people in need and gives to them the baptism of His love.

Follow Jesus through the maze today. Your retirement fund is down 30 percent. You are worried about paying the bills. You are missing the usual gatherings.

Call your elderly neighbor. Make sure he or she has everything they need to navigate these di&cult days. Check on the single parent next door. Find a way to bless somebody near you. Set the Father’s brilliant love on display, like a bouquet on a grim gray wall.

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1–13 Prayer: God, help me to “bloom where I am planted,” displaying Your loving presence even through the trials of this unique and unexpected season. Give me courage to join You in the startling work of grace.