Evening Calm and Other Photos
by Janessa Cypher
by Janessa Cypher
EVENING CALM
Nature is such a calming and inspirational place for me to embrace, especially in the middle of the challenging seasons of life. Though I would love to bathe in those last few rays of sunlight more often than I do, whenever I take an evening walk among the wild bush that surrounds me, I’m soon reminded of how incredibly peaceful it can be—even in dry seasons, when ash falls heavy and the wild grass is engulfed by destructive flames.
There is an evening calmness found as I discover new growth of fierce green that can be already seen breaking through the charcoal-covered ground. As the sherbet-colored sky melts away, my eyes are drawn to the life springing up all around me. Each dancing blade of wild grass lingering in the evening light as it begins to slowly fade reminds me of the resilience found in roots that go deep, despite where the fires once raged.
by Janessa Cypher
LEARNING HOW TO PLANT SEEDS
I love watching my son follow my husband around in the garden, both with red dirt caked on their knees. As my son learns to sow seeds, one by one, and then marvels at the growth that will burst forth in time, my own heart can’t help but linger in the sweetness of the moment. My husband carefully places a scattering of seeds into chubby hands and watches as they are placed tenderly into the umber soil.
It’s a reminder that just as these tiny seeds are planted with the hope of more to come, there is a need to surrender to the Gentle Gardener. We are called to follow, to wait, and to watch as the Lord grows us deeper in Him. Whether planted in a manicured garden or transplanted alongside the road like a wildflower, it is the Gentle Gardener who tends to us in the places clouded by the unknown. It’s a reminder that He sees me and knows the blooms that will surely come in His time.
JANESSA CYPHER
Janessa is a mom of three and serves alongside her husband with Cultivate Discipleship Ministries in Northern Uganda. She has a passion to write of the beauty found in brokenness and loves to create using whatever materials she can find. However, she is more often found sipping an iced coffee while homeschooling, creating art with her kiddos or enjoying the nature surrounding their home in the African bush.