Saturday, January 10, 2009

Holly Brightens My Life

With most things brown in our garden, I am thankful for our green hollies that have produced a multitude of bright red berries this year. One is outside the dining window where I sit typing. I've seen squirrels eating the berries along with many varieties of birds. Even though there's a feeder only four feet from the tree, they enjoy the variety.

Others have used holly to brighten their lives in winter. Thanks to Marilee for sending this to me from www.DavidJeremiah.org!

Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:3 NIV

In northern Europe, a walk through a winter's forest is a bleak affair — white, stark, cold, lifeless except for occasional boughs of green holly bearing bright red berries. In Medieval times, these boughs were brought inside to brighten the interior of the small houses.

As Christianity spread, people noticed that the thorny points of the holly leaves could symbolize our Lord's crown of thorns. The red berries, His blood. The green color, the new life He gives. Even the word "holly" resembles the word "holy."

How interesting that all nature points to Him who created the earth and died for the world. Romans 1:20 says, "Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made" (NIV).

1 comment:

Cozy Home Cottage said...

We used to sing the sweetest little Christmas song at Church when I was younger. It was titled "Now the Holly Bears a Berry" and it was one of mine and my Mom's very favorite Christmas songs. Mom loves her holly trees, too and considers them a gift from God as she had always wanted them but never had the money to buy the plants. Instead, hers were "planted" by the birds that she so diligently feeds every winter. She now has a total of 5 in her small yard in town. The first one popped up about 20 years ago.

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