Finding Joy in the Journey by Marcia Lee Laycock

The colour green has never seemed more beautiful.

Across from our house the freshness of new buds bursting delights the eyes. Perhaps it seems all the more wonderful because it has been a long time coming. We had a cool spring here this year. In fact, only three days ago we had big fluffy flakes piling up on our lawn. It was my birthday, and the first in my memory with snow. But even though the days of April and early May have been cool and the nights almost frosty, you could see the change happening in the trees and bushes all around us. I found myself delighting in it each day as the willows turned red and the grey poplars darkened, moving steadily toward maturity in spite of the weather. Though the days were grey, the sap was stirring. Now that the sun has finally arrived, the trees are bursting with new growth. Their time has arrived.

It makes me think of the long process toward maturity as a writer. The road can seem hard and the desired end result a long time coming. But like the trees around us, there is growth and progress even though the environment doesn’t seem to be cooperative. Rejections give us further resolve to work harder. Friends give us the encouragement that keeps us going when we are discouraged. And those wonderful moments of accomplishment give us a sense of awe and humility as we recognize the hand of God in it all.

God’s hand is moving us along the path toward becoming a mature writer as surely as he is directing the course of the seasons. The blossoming of the trees and flowers is never late, in God’s timing. Neither is the timing of our “arrival” as writers. He is in control. It’s for us to keep moving forward, persevering as we learn the craft, and rejoicing as He uses our gifts to His purposes. And delighting in the journey.