Cherry blossom season

Cherry blossom season in Japan is one of the most beautiful, magnificent things I've ever experienced in my life. Everything turns into clouds of pink or white (plum blossom) almost overnight, blanketing the ground in petals. People come from miles around to do "hanami," literally translated "flower-seeing." There are picnics in the park with fresh corn and grilled chicken on skewers (yakitori), stir-fried noodles with meat and vegetabes (yakisoba), and hours of sitting under the trees on blankets.

Cherry blossoms (sakura) have a special, poetic significance in Japanese culture - one of fleeting time, of how brief life is. Just as the blossoms appear suddenly, shine for about a week, and then quickly fade, so is life.

The Bible agrees with this idea: "What is your life?" Jesus asks. "You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

The book of Isaiah says that all men are like grass - "and all their glory is like the flowers of the field."

Yet that is not the end of the story! For those who believe in Christ, it is just the beginning. Even Isaiah continues this glorious thought: "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever. (My people) will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams."