Hope & Transformation

Hope & Transformation 

My home is filled with houseplants—a little side hobby that has become a bit of an obsession. I don’t think I’ll ever have too many plants in my home! Among my current plants, daffodil bulbs are sprouting into life beside a fading Poinsettia (I can never seem to keep Poinsettias alive!).

Daffodils, though not technically a houseplant, are my all-time favourite, I will never have enough of them. They are the signal the start of spring, arriving after the long, dark days of winter. They remind me of hope, of new life, of colour, of light. Their arrival each year often coincides with the lead-up to Easter, which in itself brings amazing memories for me.

In many ways, daffodils mirror the Easter message. The world around us is often portrayed as a dark and lonely place, the world tempts us with things that look attractive and appear good for us, and it’s true that we face struggles and brokenness. Worse still, the world sometimes insists that people can’t change—that bad will always be bad, that mistakes define us, that judgment is final. But the Christian faith tells a different story.

In The Salvation Army, our doctrine states: We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

Repentance is about turning away from the darkness that weighs us down and moving toward the light—the fullness of life that can only be found in Jesus. Faith calls us to believe in Jesus, to trust that no matter how broken or unworthy we feel, Jesus’ love and grace are sufficient. And regeneration by the Holy Spirit promises a transformation so profound that we become a new creation, springing into life like daffodils.

I’m reminded of this as I watch the daffodils grow. With intention and care, they move toward the light, overcoming the cold and dark of winter. They remind me that there is hope, there is opportunity for change, there is the possibility of experiencing new life and transformation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 puts it beautifully: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

In Jesus, we are not defined by our mistakes or bound by the patterns of the past. Jesus makes all things new, including us. Through Jesus, there is always hope, always light, always the promise of resurrection and new beginnings.

So, as I try to keep my houseplants alive, I’m encouraged to nurture my own growth and the growth of others. I’m reminded that life in Jesus is not about perfection but about progression—a continual turning toward the light, while trying not to be tempted by the world.