Photo was taken at Vernon, north of Paris, France

Spring has well and truly arrived in France. These beautiful daffodils, so full of life and colour, are particularly eye catching on the main street in the town of Vernon.

Thought on Wednesday – February – 12/02/2014

‘Day by day, as the pages of my own life turn over, remind me that you write my name on the palm of your hand’ ~Isaiah 49:16

There are so many different ways of writing and communicating these days. The choices are endless. Emails, texting, snapchat and social networking have all added to different ways of communicating. It may not happen as often as before but the old method of writing a letter and sending it off in the post still has value. Birthday and thank you cards are still sent regularly with some lovely thoughts written within.

The image of ink also has spiritual significance. In the psalms we are reminded beautifully how our names are written in God’s hand. It suggests intimacy, closeness, inclusion, acceptance and that we are uniquely special. Even though the psalms may have been written thousands of years ago, their relevance is still important today. In fact they even make more sense in the frantic world we now live in. We need to restore a sense of God as someone completely on our side. The psalms speak of a God who is with us not just in good times but in the pain, stench and awful moments too. Our name is written on God’s hand, not to be judged, given out to or made feel guilty about something. Instead we are encouraged to be ourselves and to allow God’s love be an ink that makes a distinct mark on everything we do each day.