Holly is the name of my younger, though not youngest sister. We are quite close in age, and in growing up she has been an inspiration in many ways.

When Holly was a young mother of three toddlers, and living in New Jersey, her husband Tom took a good job in Illinois and they arranged for the family to move there. Tom found a house and Holly agreed that it would be a good move for them, but she would be leaving every one and every thing familiar to her: family and neighbors, friends and church.
Good as the move would be, it was a wrenching thought for her and a step into the utter unknown.

The day of move-in arrived and Holly stepped into the living room of her new home. Across from her was the fireplace, and on the mantle rested a potted holly bush. She stared and stared, and a load left her mind and heart, as she could see that she was “home.” Tom had remembered and provided the one welcome that would mean the most. There was still a lot of adjusting to be done for Holly, Tom, and the children, but for Holly, it was done with a lighter heart that held more room for joy.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)Muchlater St. Peter wrote to the early church, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. I Peter 2:9)

Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has echoed through the millennia with the message of Jeremiah: “Hope and a future”. Jesus’ ministry inspired St. Paul to write about a love that is everlasting and cannot be quenched: Love Never Fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8)

The renewal that Holly experienced in that one little shrub was sent especially to her and for her. It was a loving message of recognition of Holly and where she belonged.

The scriptures are full of reassurances of God’s enduring love for His people. From the Creation to the Revelation, God’s love is expressed in the lives of courageous leaders, tender mothers, young men and women, children and the aged. Jesus himself said, “I love you just as the Father loves me; remain in my love. (John 16:9)

Love in Him,

Prue