An Encouraging Word- The View From the Window (March 15, 2026)

An Encouraging Word- The View From the Window
March 15, 2026



Author’s Note:
I wrote this devotional in May 2024, but it came back to my mind this past week when i saw the daffodils blooming at my house again and along the roadside. I so enjoy seeing them on my drive home in the evening. Just a little reminder from God to enjoy the little things. (MB)
--------------------------------------------------
The last few weeks the early spring flowers have been coming up all around my house. In March and April there were daffodils all over the place. They came up around my mailbox and on the hill where I can look out of the window and see them when I am doing dishes. They are coming up behind my house and filling the old horse field in white and yellow ribbons . The past two weeks the resurrection lilies have been coming up too. When the flowers started blooming in late March and early April, I thought about cutting them and putting them in vases several times. I even went out with scissors a few times and was going to start cutting them to make arrangements.  I stopped myself because I realized they made me happy to see them blooming on the hillside and in the yard when I came home from work at night. 

    All of my beautiful daffodils have finished their blooming cycle in the past week or so and have dried up. It has been sad not to see their cheery yellow petals when I come home at night. Yesterday was kind of a heavy work day for me. I had a lot on my mind as I drove home and was praying for some people in my life. I pulled into my driveway and happened to see a flash of purple out of the corner of my eye. I was surprised to look over on the edge of the hillside and see one purple iris plant full-grown, all bloomed out. A beautiful sight, really. I stared at it for a long time and was reminded , again, how God can bring beautiful things into our lives right when we need them. Kind of a little reminder- hey don’t give up. Keep going. I am here with you. 

    I shared a picture of the flowers with my mom last night and we were talking about her parents, my grandparents. They are gone now, but I live in their house. All the flowers that come up in the spring around the house were planted by my grandpa. He strategically planted them so that they would be in places that my grandma could see. Flowers she could see from her sitting room. Flowers she could see from her back porch swing. Flowers she could see from her kitchen window as she cooked or did dishes. Flowers on the hillside and yard that she could see as she sat on the front porch. It was always important to him that he showed her in little ways how much she meant to him. How much he loved her. He knew how much she enjoyed flowers and he made sure she had a yard full of her favorites. He did not always say “I love you”, but he showed it in many ways, especially in the view from the window. 

I thought about that last night awhile. I am enjoying something beautiful that my grandpa did for my grandma.  How many times has God shown us His love in the same way? A beautiful sunrise. A smile and hug from your child. A kind word from a stranger. A forgiven offense from a friend. Finding something that was lost. Enjoying a good meal with friends. Laughing at a good joke. An answered prayer. Comfort in times of distress. Peace in our heart. Watching Him put someone back together again.  All around us we are surrounded with reminders of His great lovingkindness. Pause and reflect on your many blessings. Even in times of trouble, there are still signs of loving kindness too. The shoulder to cry on. The person that sits with you and holds your hand. The ones praying for you that you do not even know about. Sometimes we just need to take a moment to enjoy the view from our window too. Truly our loving Heavenly Father has planted seeds of beauty in even the hardest times, just to remind us- I love you. You are my child. Don’t give up. Keep going. I am here for you. 

Scriptures to Dwell On:
Romans 5:1-11, English Standard Version
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”


Matthew 6:25-34 , English Standard Version
(Jesus speaking) “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jeremiah 31:3, English Standard Version
“ I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”


Songs To Encourage You:
Make Everything Beautiful, Rebecca St. James and For King + Country (from the motion picture Unsung Hero) this song really means a lot to me right now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FIB9obdax0

Consider the Lilies, Claire Crosby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSDTJRLpV28

Jesus Does, We the Kingdom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baz5tuV7X2Q

Psalm 84 (I’m Home), Shane & Shane 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEPAKmwHhdg

Praying for you today! You are loved beyond measure!

​

Photo 1: Purple Iris at my house last night
Photo 2: My grandparents, Pierce and Nellie Hensley (about 1949)
Photo 2: My family with my grandpa. I am the little girl and my brother John is on the pony.

Melissa Boggs
Christian Life Academy Superintendent

---