Tending Joy for Thursday, February 22

[Christ] was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18-21

Thank: for fresh starts

Stepping off the ark, one thing becomes obvious: there is no going back to the world as it was before the flood. But unlike post-apocalyptic TV shows, games, and books, in which characters fight amid the wreckage of fallen civilizations, Noah’s story doesn’t mention the ruins of the past. Instead, Noah and his family wait for signs of new life. New leaves sprouting, a new beginning after devastation, signs of life after death: these are the indicators that the world is ready to receive humanity. The rainbow hanging above this renewed world is a message that God is ready to receive humanity, too.

Consider when you have experienced God’s renewal. When have you felt a sense of transformation or the slow the joy that comes when you realize that, yes, new life can actually grow on the other side of devastation? Offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for this renewal.

Today’s photo prompt

What represents a new beginning you have received from God?