In April of each year, near my home, thousands of tulips gradually push through the soil in a beautiful exhibit of color. Hues of red, coral, orange, magenta, and purple create a symphony of beauty that draws tourists from miles. But when I drive by those same fields in fall and winter, all I see are fields of dirt. The tulip bulbs under the soil remind me of how I’ve felt forgotten by God at times.
Years ago, I enrolled in a Bible certificate program I had longed to attend. But shortly after beginning, my health flared, and I almost had to quit. I ended up cutting my hours in half and never received the certificate of completion. As I watched my friends walk across the stage at graduation the following May, I felt a mixture of joy for them, along with deep sadness for myself because I wasn’t receiving a diploma. Had God forgotten me?
Fast forward a few years. I had the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in counseling. I finished that program and was honored to work with people for eighteen years, which was deeply rewarding. The fields of dirt in my life gradually sprang forth a serenade of tulips.
Joseph, in the Old Testament, may have felt forgotten when his brothers placed him in a well and sold him into slavery (Romans 8:28). Or perhaps later, when he spent time in jail and was accused of a crime for which he was innocent. But eventually, the unseen tulip bulbs in Joseph’s life sprang through his soil until he was second only to Pharaoh. God used Joseph mightily to save the nation of Israel.
When discouragement draws you into a dark valley of despair, remember the tulips. God always has a plan for your life. Even when all you can see is barren soil, you can trust God to bring forth the beautiful landscape of glorious color. He is faithful.
Cherrie Herrin-Michehl is a writer.