At the end of Sunday's worship we sang a rich hymn entitled In the Bulb There Is a Flower also known as Hymn of Promise. The opening verse goes like this:

"In the bulb there is a flower, in the seed, an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see."

Implied in this lyrical wisdom is the providence of God and the promises God has for our lives. Theologian John Calvin said it in a more direct manner, "All events are governed by God's secret plan." This plan or promise is most often"unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see."

Debbie and I again find ourselves in one of these promised seasons as our third and youngest child, Maryneal, completes her final semester at UGA. I remember how she wanted UGA decorations and memorabilia to adore her room when she was in elementary school. The promise then was that someday she would be admitted to UGA to become a Bulldog. Now she prepares to graduate and a new season is upon her; a hidden promise that has its own season in which to be revealed.

We trust that God's Spirit, which we believe has guided her upon her path, will blow in new directions that God alone knows will lead. This Spirit of God is like the wind, Jesus told Nicodemus in the 3^rd chapter of John:

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3: 8

Of course pictures illustrate what lyric and verse open our hearts and minds to see. Taking a stroll with her beloved dog Cowboy on the UGA campus, Maryneal shared this picture.

The wind blows wherever it pleases...unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Help us to see your Spirit at work in our lives, O God, so that the hidden promises you have for us will come to light and we will know you more fully in the ways you know us.  Amen.