The Jacarandas Are Out: A Christian Reflection on the Second Bloom, the Joburg Spring, and the God Who Gives You Another Start

The Week the Streets Turned Purple

There is a week every October when the streets turn purple. The jacarandas come out. The suburbs of Sandton, Houghton, Parktown, Linden, and the older streets of Pretoria turn purple. The petals fall on the pavements, on the parked cars, on the dogs, on the shopping bags at the Woolworths. The purple comes for two or three weeks. Then it goes. The streets become green again. The city waits another eleven months for the next bloom.

The jacarandas do not last. The jacarandas are not meant to last. The jacarandas are a sign. The sign is that the winter is not the last word. The sign is that there is a second bloom. The sign is that the Christian in Johannesburg who has been waiting for a second chance can look up at the purple streets and remember that the God of the Bible is the God of the second chance.

This post is for the Christian in Johannesburg or Sandton who has been waiting for the second bloom — the Christian who has been asking the Bible for a new beginning, the Christian who has been asking the Bible for a second calling, the Christian who has been asking the Bible for a second spring. The jacarandas are out. The Bible is real. The second bloom is real.

What the Bible Actually Says About the Second Chance

The Bible is full of second chances. The Bible is, in fact, a long story of God's willingness to give the people of God a second chance. The Bible begins with Adam and Eve in the garden. The Bible ends with the new Jerusalem in the book of Revelation. In between, there are many second chances.

Genesis 8:22 — As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

Isaiah 43:19 — See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Lamentations 3:22-23 — Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

2 Corinthians 5:7:22-23 — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ.

Revelation 21:5 — He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."

Romans 8:28 — And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

The Bible treats the second chance as one of the great truths. The Bible treats the second chance as a normal way that the God of the Bible works with the people of God. The Bible treats the Christian who has come to the second chance as a Christian who has been called by the God of the second chance.

What the Spring in Joburg Looks Like to the Christian

The spring in Joburg in October is the second bloom of the year. The first bloom is the Jacaranda city of the third. The Christian in Joburg sees the second bloom and asks, Is this for me? The Christian in Joburg sees the second bloom and asks, Is the second bloom for me? The Christian in Joburg sees the second bloom and asks, Is the second bloom for me, for my work, for my family, for my marriage, for my country?

The Bible is clear. Yes, the second bloom is for you.

Haggai 2:19 — Is not this time on the actual springing of the yoke on your neck? This is what I am saying: From this day on I will bless you.

Zechariah 10:1 — Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.

Songofun 11:11-12 — See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come.

The spring in Joburg is a sign that the second bloom is real. The spring in Joburg is a sign that the Christian in Joburg can look up at the purple streets and remember that the God of the Bible is the God of the second chance.

What the Sandton Bible Study Has Started Doing With the Jacarandas

In the last three October jacaranda seasons, the Sandton Wednesday evening Bible study has changed shape during the week when the jacarandas are out. We do not cancel the Bible study. We do not change the topic to jacarandas. We do, however, change three things.

We begin the Bible study that Wednesday with a moment of thanksgiving for the second bloom. The Christian in Sandton in 2026 has had a second bloom. The Christian in Sandton in 2026 has had a second chance at work, at marriage, at ministry, at Bible study. The moment of thanksgiving is real. The thanksgiving is real.

We read one of the second-chance passages from the Old Testament prophets. We have read Isaiah 43. We have read Hosea 29. We have read Joel 32. The prophets of the second chance are real prophets. The Bible study is real.

We walk home under the jacarandas. The walk home is optional. The walk home is a small practice. The walk home is the kind of practice the Bible calls walking in the newness of life. The walk home is real. The Bible is real. The purple is real.

What the Bible Says About the Christian Who Has Been Waiting

The Christian in Joburg who has been waiting for the second bloom has been waiting for a long time. The Bible is clear about the Christian who has been waiting.

Psalm 27:14 — Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 37:7 — Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Habakkuk 2:3 — For the vision awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end in the future and will prove true. In the end it will come, but it will certainly come and will not delay.

Galatians 6:9 — Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

James 5:7-8 — Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and the spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

The Christian in Joburg who has been waiting for the second bloom has been waiting for the appointed time. The Christian who waits is the Christian who receives. The Christian who waits is the Christian who is ready when the second bloom comes.

What the Jacarandas Are Doing to the Children

The Christian in Sandton in 2026 who has children is watching the children see the jacarandas. The children are asking. The children are asking why the jacarandas are purple. The children are asking why the petals fall. The children are asking where the petals go. The children are asking what comes next.

The Bible is clear about the parent who teaches the children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 — These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Proverbs 22:6 — Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

The Christian parent can teach the children about the second bloom. The parent can tell the children, The petals fall because the second bloom has come. The petals fall because the winter is over. The petals fall because the God of the Bible is the God of the second chance. The children hear. The teaching is honest. The purple is holy.

A Short Prayer for the Spring

Father, you are the God of the second bloom. You are the God of the jacarandas. You are the God of the purple streets. You are the God of the petals that fall. You are the God of the second chance. We thank you for the second bloom. We thank you for the second chance at work, at ministry, at Bible study. Help us to walk the purple streets. Help us to teach the children about the second bloom. We ask this in the name of the one who said, "I am making everything new." Amen.

An Invitation

If you are a Christian in Johannesburg or Sandton who has been waiting for the second bloom, or who has begun to wonder what the Bible says about the second chance, or who has begun to think about the spring under the jacarandas, the Wednesday evening Bible study in Sandton is open to you. The Bible study begins at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings. We meet at the Bible study room in Parkmore. The Bible is real. The jacarandas are real. The second bloom is real.

If you are a Christian who is also a visitor to Joburg in October, or who is also a Christian from another city who has come to see the jacarandas, or who is also a parent who has begun to wonder how to teach the children about the second bloom, the Bible study is open to you. The Bible is real. The friendship is real. The second chance is real.