How Do I Hold Onto Hope?

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” Letter to the Hebrews, Chapter 6, Verse 19, 20a. New International Version

“Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly”, sang Judy Garland in her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, a movie released over seventy years ago.  Bluebirds have been a symbol of happiness throughout the decades and are, to me, a symbol of hope.

As a young girl, my grandmother instilled in me the love of songbirds, teaching me to recognize them by their plumage and their song.  Eastern bluebirds were not among those that crowded our bird feeders in my early years, so that beautiful creature was more of a legend to me than a reality.

When I moved into a new house eight years ago, I faced a heartbreak that brought me very low.  One morning as I stood at the kitchen window refilling the coffee carafe, a male bluebird alighted on the tip-top of my backyard bird feeder.  He was brilliantly azure with a rosy breast, and he stayed on his perch and burbled cheerfully for a while.

Photo Credit: Keith Ewing

I knew, beyond a doubt, that my Heavenly Father gave me that bluebird sighting to remind me that He was with me and that I should hope for better times.

To increase my opportunities to have my heart lifted, I bought a bluebird house from a Minnesota man who constructs them in his garage, and learned to raise meal worms to draw the birds in to feed.

I see and hear bluebirds everywhere I go now, and that bad time did pass.

This blog name “Bluebirds Always Fly” represents my heartfelt hope that God is real, loving, and personally concerned for each one of us.   Even when we cannot see them with our eyes, bluebirds are always flying over the rainbow.

What is the symbol or sign given to you personally by God to keep your hope alive?  I would love to hear about it!

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