Friday, March 26, 2010

Five Favorite Things about Spring





Recently Hope Magazine asked for us to write about the five favorite things about spring. This is what I submitted and hopefully it will get published. I really enjoy being a guest blogger on other sites. It keeps the spring in me so to speak. It did not take me long to pick the five. The words came out just as easily as it appears that He brings spring to us. There seems to be an excitement in the air and busy work the sunshine brings. It's like we have been living in the dark for a few months and someone just turned on the light switch. Now it is scurry around and make things look better cause you have put it off all winter. So the work begins in us, so the work begins around us and so His work begins through us.

Here are my five favorite things I love about spring.
1. Time to detox not only my body, but also my house. As we usher out the old and welcome all that is new, Spring really does get in the air. It seems like with the later hours, old man winter who is trying to hang on with his last breath of harsh winds, and the brilliant colors that sparkle in the sunshine something gets under me that lifts my spirit and motivates me to look better, feel better and clean house better. Recently I have been staging my house for resale trying to eliminate clutter all about the same time I have started a new eating habit sure to shed some extras and lighten the load. And isn't that what Apostle Paul teaches us....to travel lite?

2. I love the coolness of the mornings and evenings while the middle of the day gives us a taste of warmth from the sun. Like the coolness of the rain the air exudes an atmospheric flow that tends to calm the soul and ease the end of the day driving us all outdoors once again for periodic appointments with earth. Trimming, raking, tilling and planting all seem to be what drives us out of the house gloved with hopeful fruit at our fingertips.

3.Making plans for summer and looking ahead. Spring is when you get your camp acceptances, college acceptances, job acceptances and sometimes new homes that unexpectedly find you. Lots of planning, booking, and making reservations for memories to come bookend by spring and fall. Digging in the ground and in the attic or shed pulling out and all for what? All making preparation for summer bliss.

4. The colors are next to fall my favorite of all. The pale hues earmarking each kind of fruit tree, bush or roadside seed that was planted for our sheer pleasure. A sweet fragrance saturates the air you can almost smell pink and taste blue. The straw pale blonde that reminds us of what was once there last fall is begging us to cut it back allowing new shoots to push through its scratchy branches. The birds gather and hunt together as they peck and peck, soaring then swooping, gliding in for a soft landing on the wasabi carpet of green. The robins with their bright red vests indicate we are not far off and the cardinals that chirp with their single piercing and distinctive sound like a beacon in the backyard. All of this orchestrated as things come to life in the fullness of living color.

5. The message of our Savior is my most favorite thing about spring because of the hope He brings with His new and everlasting life. Just as He gave/shed His life for us where the old has passed and made new again, Jesus can and will detox our lives with the breath of heaven, lifting our spirits high in heavenly places all while taking care of each detail. His gentle and soft touch like the cool breeze of spring comforts me and leads me to Him. Where Jesus lives there is no room for anything but the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Pruning me along the way making room for new growth in Him, planting, fertilizing and encouraging new things to grow as He waters me with His Word. His ways are not my ways, His plans are much bigger than mine, trusting in Him with my mind, heart and soul in everything I put my hand to. For He knows the plans He has for me, even when I don't. As Jesus colors my world with His grace, my heart opens up to all that He wishes to paint on it. He paints His picture for my life and I'm along for the ride. What a blessing to be a part of His canvas, to be in relationship with the Creator of the Universe, and to be loved by God.
Happy Spring! May you find five favorite things that spring you into the arms of Christ. Hallelujah! He is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!