The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come. SONG OF SONGS 2:12

In late spring and summer you can find many auctions in Amish communities. In Hazleton, Iowa, flower and produce auctions are held on Tuesdays and Fridays. In Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the term for the annual auction is “mud sale.” This is an appropriate name since the ground is thawing after winter and the thousands of people who attend, looking for bargains, make their imprints.

People attend Amish auctions looking for quilts, lumber, produce, flowers, antiques, and used items. Some of these auctions make money to benefit the local town. On the second Saturday of June every year, the small Amish community in Rexford, Montana, has an auction that raises money for their Amish school. They’re also raising money to put a fire station in their area.

When flowers bloom in Amish gardens, they are bundled into bouquets and sold at auction. The quilts that have been stitched and the cupboards that have been built in warm homes and shops during the winter months now are out in the warm spring air, waiting for bidding to begin.

What do you look forward to in spring? Not only does spring bring new life blooming in the world around us, but spring also brings freshness and new hope to our hearts. The season is a reminder that even though some days are dark, sun-shine and flowers will come again, as we read in Song of Songs 2:11: “Look, the winter is past, and the rains are over and gone.”

Are you going through a dark time in your life? Remember that God can bring light into your darkness as surely as He brings the light of spring-time after the dark days of winter. Thank God for the answers and hope that will come in His perfect timing.

If you’re finding joy in a bright season of your life, don’t take it for granted. Use this time to reach out to someone else. Share a bouquet of flowers with a friend who’s having a hard day or going through illness or some other difficulty. Share with your friend what God has done in your life.

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for the spring flowers that come after seasons of cold, darkness, mud, and rain. Show me someone with whom I can share a bit of Your sunshine today.

Excerpt from The One Year Book of Amish Peace.

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In our instantly connected world, it’s surprisingly easy to lose our connection to God. This devotional taps Amish wisdom in order to help us draw closer to God and hear his voice. In The One Year Book of Amish Peace, you’ll get a daily taste of Amish values and wisdom. Tricia Goyer shares her fascination with the Amish in a way that will inspire and encourage believers to carve out more time in each day to listen to God and experience his presence. This daily devotional contains interesting facts about the Amish, recipes, and information about the way the Amish handle money, rear their children, and center their lives on faith in God. You’ll be inspired to slow down and find ways to simplify so that you, too, can experience God in the ordinary.

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