Spring!
Happy March, the season of Spring! Although Minnesota is not known for its long or even evident Spring season, the meaning of Spring still stands as a time of growth, new life, and renewal in and of all things. As Spring approaches, I encourage you to take some time to meditate on not only the past year and “seasons of your life”, but also on the opportunity to move forward and grow in a place of faith and excitement for the newness in life that Spring brings.
I encourage you to reflect on the following Bible verse to prepare your heart for what God wants to grow in you in the coming months.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”
Just as the world gives us seasons of time, so too do we live our lives in “seasons”, times in which our experiences, opportunities, milestones, and phases of life shift and change. We may experience seasons of great abundance or great loss, pairing this with times or great joy or brokenness. To each their own timeline of seasons to weather. Some of us may weather more storms than expected, giving us more weight to bear but also more opportunity to grow.
Springtime encourages us to become new again, see the beauty unfold in front of our eyes, and focus on the beauty of change and growth. All the seasons that we have all weathered up until now provides us with experiences that will not go to waste as we prepare ourselves to celebrate in the new life that God has given with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Scripture often talks of the spring season like a welcoming rain shower that nourishes the ground and soothes the parched land. Know that all of the personal seasons that you have gone through this past year will amount to something beautiful and new, as God knows how to and will, for you, turn your experiences into opportunities of beauty and growth if you trust in God to guide and nourish your life and body as Spring rain does to the soil on which we walk.
Let us Pray: “God, we thank you for the opportunity to live amongst the seasons that you have made for us, and in our personal seasons in which we manifest for ourselves. Help us to know and remember that in times of storms to weather, you are still present, and you will take those storms and turn them into opportunities of beauty and growth. We are ready for a new beginning, and we trust in your grace and vision to see us through to moments of joy, love, and faith centered purpose as we continue to navigate ourselves in a world of uncertainty, challenges, and hardships. Instill in us a sense of peace as we welcome your new Spring rains; let them wash over us and our lands to encourage in us an excitement for change, growth, new life, and new opportunities.”
Closing thought: As we move forward to tomorrow, remember that with a strong foundation of faith, like a tree with roots strongly grounded, we can weather any storm. Celebrate all of your personal seasons, and trust that God will lead you out of the heavy rainstorm, and into the newness of Spring rains. Let the storms pass and focus on the knowing that God will renew you with peace and grace as God takes those weathered storms and turns them into moments of growth and beauty for you.