As I walked around this beautiful garden, I wondered at how we take so many things we should count as joy for granted because we are waiting for the 'big miracles', or focused on the things that are seemingly not working out the way we want them to, and ignoring the ones that worked. We get frustrated and completely forget the journey that led to where we are now. We forget the storms we've weathered and the battles fought and won. I was reminded in the bible text we read tonight in our nightly devotion, a prayer of King David from Psalm 51:12 NIV - 'Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.'
The reminder was that it is important to 'resolve to recapture that joy'. The joy of seeing the beauty in creation and appreciating the wondrous works of God that surround us always. Even we are part of the wonder. We must throw off everything that hinders us from appreciating little things like the beauty in nature and the colours that burst forth from flowers that bloom in due season. Walking down the paths of Cragside, it was as if the fields were singing, which led to the titling of this post. Song of Solomon 2:12 ESV says - 'The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.'
I'm sharing some of the pictures I took from Cragside, hoping they'll inspire you to look around and find things that help you recapture the joy that is rightfully yours, just as the beauty of nature helped to recapture mine.