This is the time of year when the daffodils bloom.

Slowly, optimistically, they poke their spring green leaves out from the soil.

Then one day their sunshine yellow blossoms burst like popcorn into the world.

Inevitably, there is a frost. A snow shower, a hard freeze. And people, right on cue, shake their heads sadly and say “if only they had waited…”

But here is the thing: this happens every year. The blooms survive. And every year, the daffodils come back. Harbingers of spring, a messenger to us that new life is stirring, even when it’s too far beneath the surface for us to discern.

And I know, I KNOW, that there have been times when you are standing there, bravely blossoming, burned by the frost, but even more so by the words of the critics. People who would rather criticize the technique of your bravery rather than marvel at the beauty of your bloom.

 We live in an inhospitable time. A world where Monday morning quarterbacks flourish, and it is all too easy to be a critic.  Reading the comments section on any news story is enough to make me want to hole up in my room and hide from the world for a long long time.

But. We are designed to live our lives in community. To dare to grow, to poke our heads out of our underground safety nets and reach towards the light.

A daffodil does not simply choose not to sprout for fear of cold mornings. It does what it was created to do. Grow. Bloom. Thrive. Repeat.  This life cycle is hardwired into its very essence. The same with us. If we are afraid to flourish, we deny the world the beauty that only we can give. The world would be less without you in it. The world would be less if you were afraid to use your voice.

We have been designed to grow. To shine. To stumble, and fall, and in the process, learn. To make mistakes and in the doing, to learn to accept grace, and give grace to ourselves. to try again and to succeed. To celebrate our wins, and our losses. To realize that all of this jumbles together into one beautiful, ephemeral life.

And I think in this process, the invitation is extended to be a critic or a cheerleader. To give others the benefit of the doubt, or three strikes and out. Instead of shaking your head at frozen flowers, marvel at their courage to shine.  it is our words that give others permission to grow. Your words are a powerful gift. Use them to speak life to others. It’s a harsh world out there. Let’s cheer on each other to grow anyway. 

Words kill, words give life; they are either poison or fruit – you choose.

Proverbs 18:21