Spring Forward

Spring at last! Woo Hoo! The weather is warming up and things are greening up.  Sweet little flower shoots poke their heads out of the ground in anticipation of sunshine and growth.  I welcome them and verbally encourage them to keep growing.  They are a welcome sight here in Michigan after a cold winter.

I think about new opportunities as I think about spring.  There is a shift in activities and all of nature is gearing up to come forth in newness of life and growth.  I love it!  People are out and about picking up their yards from branches and leaves blown down by the winter storms and winds.  There is a sense of expectation in the air! Gardens are being planned. A sense of moving on and fresh excitement. The songbirds are back preparing to build their nests and scoping out their surroundings.

As I think about those little birds, I think about how last spring, some of their nests were blown down or disturbed. Some of their eggs were stolen before they were even able to hatch.  Do birds experience disappointment?  Maybe!  But every spring they begin the whole process again. Renewed effort and expectation. They fly around gathering bits of grass, string, twigs and with great care and precision fashion their nests anticipating laying their eggs again and nurturing their little ones.    

King Solomon observed nature and gave many parables concerning it.  I think he was enjoying spring when he wrote in Song of Solomon 2:12, “Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.”  There are doves in my yard again now. I love to hear them cooing back and forth to each other. 

Do you have plans for moving forward this coming season.  Perhaps thoughts for your yard or garden but also thoughts for areas in your life you want to see advance in a positive way. Relationships you want to nurture or new skills to develop.

The birds don’t let last years circumstances hinder them from moving on, neither should we.  Jesus encourages us in Mathew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Have your thoughts about the past hindered your pursuit of new opportunities in this new season?

“Your someday is made up of thousands of right nows, so begin today.” 
Ruth Chou Simons