Is It Spring Yet?

I got up the other morning and outside my window I saw this little critter popping up in the middle of my snow laden backyard. He lounged on his belly, looking toward the sunrise and seemed to enjoy his new vantage point. All looked quiet but the emergence of my little friend (I’ve named him Max), makes me realize there is a lot going on below the surface. I can just imagine the intricate tunnel town going on in Max’s world.

In my world, the New England winter has knocked the stuffing out of me. It isn’t often that we get both bitter cold and record snowfalls. This year we got a good dousing of both. Massive snow piles encroach on my driveway. Temperatures of below zero with a wind chill blast each time I step outside. Three feet of heavy snow covers my roof. I was starting to get a little nervous as daily reports of roofs collapsing in nearby towns until John fashioned a roof rake and pulled some of the snow down.

Yes, I am ready for spring!

What seems like bleak, dark and frozen is ready to burst forth with new life. Max’s city in the snow, birds trying out their voices during a warm tease, hickories beginning to blush their first buds of spring….oh, something to hope for. Bring on the sun. I’ve been living in the gray since November. I will dig my way to the surface to find the pregnant sunrise, just like Max.

Sometimes life is like the dark winter. Everything seems hidden, frozen and lifeless; a winter of the soul. But the hope of spring isn’t far off. I just need to dig my way toward the Sonrise. There I will find hope. In the Son I find life. In Him I find the hidden beauty, a message of hope in winter. If I am willing, He will open my eyes to see it. He peels away the darkness and awakens my ears to the song of spring. He woos me to new life and new purpose, one He has been quietly orchestrating under the surface.

So, if winter has its hold, keep on hoping. Keep on believing. His work on our behalf, though it often seems hidden and silent, continues day and night. He will bring the spring to your soul and a sunrise to your heart. Hope awaits: New life and new beginnings as you believe and trust in Him.

What signs of spring are giving you hope?

Believing,

Jeanne (and Max)

Change

There's a cool nip in the air as falling leaves do their autumn dance. I love the fall but I don't look forward to the cold, gray winter. It won't be long. Temperatures are already dipping into the thirties overnight. We will set the clocks back in a couple of weeks. I will miss the light evening sky as I drive home from work.

I already miss sitting amongst my flowers; they are beginning to wilt in the night time chill.

Though I try to look for the positive things, change is hard. It's inevitable but often not welcome. I face changes everyday and how I embrace them will affect me. Watching my sisters face their divorces and losing my dad has been a huge adjustment. We had his burial service earlier this week, almost three months after his death. It wasn't surprising that today I was a little emotional.

After the burial on Monday and a stressful week at work that didn't allow for any let down, today my emotions are in a tailspin. I know it is never as simple as one thing. Many factors can contribute to my faltering emotions. Yet, I know God is with me. He knows what I struggle with even better than I know myself. He offers comfort in His presence. He knows my frame and He gives me the grace to sort it out as I lean on Him. But, it's important that I give myself the grace too.

This weekend I have extended grace to myself by not fretting about the housework. I took a long nap. And though our church had many things happening this week due to our missions conference, I allowed myself to create some margin in my days. I am not very good at not feeling guilty, but this weekend I knew I needed some down time.

Change.
Difficult. Inevitable.

Winter comes. Yet, in the bleak times there is hope. It may seem like we are hidden in a dark tomb but He promises the resurrection. Spring for the soul.

Do life's changes put you into a tailspin? How can you give yourself grace, knowing that God knows everything you are facing?

Thankful that He knows my frame (what I am made of),

Jeanne

“Just as a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.”
Psalm 103:13-14 (NAS)