Is There A Cardinal in Your Lilac?
I saw a cardinal nestled in my French lilac bush last week. It’s funny – I notice these scarlet birds all winter and early spring, and am so grateful for their vibrant color on otherwise dull, gray-and-brown days. You know what I mean, right? Gray skies and brown grass.
But once the trees leaf out and grass starts growing again, I don’t see cardinals. Honestly. I see bluebirds and monarch butterflies. I thank God for chicory and sweet peas and day lilies that paint road berms with vibrant blue, pink and orange. But I never notice cardinals.
It’s funny how something can be there all along and we just don’t see it. Maybe there’s someone you’ve been looking for who’s already in your life.
I remember a time when someone I needed was already there. When my kids were toddlers, I desperately sought a babysitter. I needed time to write and it was absolutely impossible while they ran around and asked me a million questions. And when they fell asleep, I crashed. They exhausted me.
One day I went to Tim Horton’s in Meadville to think and pray for guidance. I needed God to lead me to the right babysitter. Suddenly I remembered a lady I’ve known since childhood asking prayer in church a few weeks earlier. She’d lost her job.
It was one of those “Aha!” moments. I called her immediately. She was surprised by my job offer and snapped it up. She babysat my kids for seven months, three days a week, which helped me do a lot of writing and complete my writing apprenticeship.
That was nine years ago, but I’m still grateful for her help. Once my daughter went to school I had a little easier time writing. And my babysitter got another fulltime job.
But during the season when I needed her, God made her available. She was someone I could trust to care for my children – not just anyone filled the bill. And she helped me immeasurably. She went above and beyond, helping my daughter learn to use scissors and do preschool-type workbooks to learn skills she’d need in kindergarten.
I didn’t send my daughter to preschool. I didn’t think she needed it. It turned out I was right. But this dear lady helped prepare her for school in a way I didn’t have the patience to do.
Like the cardinal in my lilac, my ideal babysitter was there all along. But I didn’t see her.
There may be someone you’re looking for who’s already there. Or maybe an opportunity is in your life, you just don’t see it.
This makes me wonder what other things God has already provided that I haven’t noticed. Let’s watch and wait as God reveals His plans for us. It’s something to look forward to. And maybe it’ll be just as beautiful as a scarlet cardinal snuggled between emerald leaves.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!