If you were to ask me which stories in my life carry the weight of the most lessons on things like grace and hope, you might think I would smile and share tales of parenthood or marriage or some memory from childhood. But these two stories, born from time spent with the orphaned and vulnerable in Central America, continue to teach me the beauty of gritty hope, slow miracles, and long-road gratitude.

Monja Blanca

The first story is inscribed in a coin. If you look on the back of the Guatemalan fifty-cent piece, you’ll find the country’s national flower. Its name is Monja Blanca or “White Nun,” an orchid so named because it looks like a holy woman kneeling in prayer. I love the story so much that I collect the coins every time I visit the country just so I’ll have a few with me to share the encouragement found in this orchid so rare and revered.

The Monja Blanca orchid has nearly everything she needs to grow and bloom on her own. She needs no pollination to blossom. In fact, the Monja Blanca lacks only one thing to thrive. She needs support to stand. A fence post or tree trunk provides just the strength she needs to rise. Now, if you were to go to Guatemala to find the Monja Blanca, you will likely have to wait a while. Again, she’s rare, an albino beauty in a sea of pink and purple. It takes her fifteen years to bloom, and then her flowers last for only a short season.

Acatenango

The second story is found in a landscape dotted with volcanoes. They’re plentiful in Guatemala. Many are active, and the puffs of smoke that rise each day are reminders of the power that lives just beneath the surface of the peaks. The most active of these volcanoes, Fuego, spews smoke and ash daily, and its lava flows are a constant threat. I’ve seen the sky light up with fire and felt the earth actually quake with Fuego’s anger. In fact, in 2018, Fuego erupted with such force that pyroclastic flow took out an entire village within seconds. Scientists say the people in that village likely never knew what happened, as the white-hot liquid and volcanic rock moved at speeds of up to seven hundred miles per hour.

Fuego certainly seems hell-bent on destruction.

But standing next to Fuego is its sister, Acatenango. She’s a quiet giant as she faces the fury of her smaller, disgruntled twin. Acatenango is best known as host to hiking expeditions structured around watching Fuego. But she is also famous for her coffee. Some of the most flavorful beans in Guatemala are found on her plantations—plantations that are enriched by the volcanic ash of her twin. Fuego’s fire gives birth to Acatenango’s strength.

Embracing gritty hope, slow miracles, and long-road gratitude

Both stories continue to teach me to keep my eyes open to see gritty hope, slow miracles, and long-road gratitude—and to be unafraid to step into the stories themselves.

There are Monja Blancas all around us, bearing God’s image and design, each longing for the strength of an outreached hand and the support of a kind and caring community. Fifteen years is not long at all when considering the miraculous beauty of a life well-loved. The slow miracles are indeed worthy of our long-road gratitude.

And there are Acatenangos in our midst, bearing the brunt of disruption and disappointment, and struggling to see the good through the smoky haze of it all. But the grit of hope—a hope unafraid of the fire, a hope road-tested and war-torn—sees the harvest that awaits because of the journey and not in spite of it. The gift of that grit is indeed worthy of our long-road gratitude.

The orchid blooms in its season. The coffee that tastes the best is born from the worst of circumstances. The stories aren’t just for others. They are for us too.

 You and I are Monja Blanca. You and I are Acatenango. Gritty hope and slow miracles live within us. Our stories, too, are worthy of our long-road gratitude.

Meet Ronne Rock

Where to find her . . .

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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.