{"id":17673,"date":"2026-03-10T14:42:56","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:04:12","slug":"watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/","title":{"rendered":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is a delight. After a long and cold winter, those first few days of warmth just make a body feel good. I always know that spring is on its way when I see the first tender green shoots of the weeping willows in the meadow behind my home. That makes me smile because I know that in a week or two, I\u2019ll see those long limbs of green swaying in the breeze like a grandmother\u2019s shawl\u2013fresh new life where bare branches were just weeks before.<\/p>\n

Daffodils and tulips are usually the next to arrive, tiny bursts of color that are extra welcome after winter\u2019s bleak landscape. Each morning I notice the changes from the day or week before\u2014cheery yellow forsythia, pink azaleas and purple rhododendron blossoms. And when the dogwoods bloom, it looks as if the woods are filled with white lace. Oh my, God\u2019s handiwork is spectacular!<\/p>\n

Read More: Sharing Flowers with Those in Need<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Besides bringing joy and color to our lives, spring is a beautiful example of how God begins a new work in us as well. Here\u2019s what God says:<\/p>\n

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.<\/em> (Isaiah 43:19) <\/p>\n

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God.<\/em> (Psalm 92:13)<\/p>\n

Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.<\/em> (Isaiah 42:9) <\/p>\n

For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.<\/em> (Isaiah 61:11)<\/p>\n

Pray this with me: Father, thank you for the new things you send that spring forth in my life. Help me to blossom into something of beauty for you. Amen<\/em>.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is a delight. After a long and cold winter, those first few days of warmth just make a body feel good. I always know that spring is on its way when I see the first tender green shoots of the weeping willows in the meadow behind my home. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":27521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[26,22],"ppma_author":[474],"class_list":["post-17673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-stories","tag-hope","tag-spring"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWatching the Hope of Spring Emerge - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is a delight. After a long and cold winter, those first few days of warmth just make a body feel good. I always know that spring is on its way when I see the first tender green shoots of the weeping willows in the meadow behind my home. […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"866\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michelle Cox\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michelle Cox\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490\"},\"headline\":\"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":348,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Hope\",\"Spring\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Inspiring Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/\",\"name\":\"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg\",\"width\":1540,\"height\":866},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Inspiring Stories\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/inspiring-stories\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490\",\"name\":\"Michelle Cox\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g846301d99314d6f2ac0e1d0ef60ea873\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michelle Cox\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/michelle_cox\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge","og_description":"Springtime in the mountains of North Carolina is a delight. After a long and cold winter, those first few days of warmth just make a body feel good. I always know that spring is on its way when I see the first tender green shoots of the weeping willows in the meadow behind my home. […]","og_url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1540,"height":866,"url":"https:\/\/articles.guideposts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michelle Cox","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/"},"author":{"name":"Michelle Cox","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490"},"headline":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge","datePublished":"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/"},"wordCount":348,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg","keywords":["Hope","Spring"],"articleSection":["Inspiring Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/","name":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-10T14:42:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-10T06:04:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/blog_spring_hope_1540-1.jpg","width":1540,"height":866},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/watching-the-hope-of-spring-emerge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inspiring Stories","item":"http:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Watching the Hope of Spring Emerge"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/91e69238d5e9d40c00eb5e169505a490","name":"Michelle Cox","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g846301d99314d6f2ac0e1d0ef60ea873","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5e394d5f753c6f85bbf2b611b68c524cf5d0ef95f9e04fe7eb8f203eb837d59f?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Michelle Cox"},"url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/author\/michelle_cox\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":474,"user_id":116,"is_guest":0,"slug":"michelle_cox","display_name":"Michelle Cox","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fgpbookstore.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/116"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17673"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}