Spring, Lovely Spring

Image via WikipediaThis is a post I wrote some years ago when I first started blogging. Having been away from my computer for a while, too long a while, I decided to search some old posts to find something that would get my creative juices flowing. And sure enough, I came across this post, perfect for the beginning of spring. I have repurposed it a little to make it more relevant.
                                                                                 
Spring is here! Isn't it wonderful the way God redecorates the landscape so there is always something new to grab our senses and delight our minds? I love the changing of the seasons. Maybe it's because I was born and raised in a tropical climate where there are only two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. It was only when I migrated to the United States that I experienced the four seasons. I remember the first time I saw snow, I was like a kid again, a grown woman making snowballs and throwing at my friends. Then fall came and filled me with awe, and still does.

There is beauty and purpose in every season. I don't mind the short, gray days and the naked boughs of winter because I know they don't last. The sun will shine again, tender green leaves will appear on those boughs and flowers will spring out of the ground. Perpetual summer or winter could not sustain life. We need heat and cold, moisture and drought in order to sustain life on this planet.

The changing of the seasons reminds me that:

1. God is faithful. He is always with us, whether we think of Him or not. Like a good parent, He is preparing our food, our comfort and doing all the extra little things to give us pleasure. Acts 14: 17 says, "... and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."


2. God is a God of order. Even though environmentalists speak of climate change, weather systems throughout the world remain well-defined. Spring comes faithfully after winter, summer follows spring and so on. We experience heat in summer and cold in winter. Hot climates remain hot and cold climes remain cold. Spring is always the season of birth and new beginnings, winter the season of death and decay.


3. God speaks to us through the seasons. Oswald Chambers says, "When you have thoughts and ideas that are worthy of credit to God, learn to compare and associate them with ... the changing of the seasons." (My Utmost For His Highest). I couldn't agree more. The seasons of the earth reflect the seasons of our lives. Just as God rearranges the environment to suit His purpose, in the same way He arranges our lives into seasons so we can grow and develop into the spiritually healthy and happy beings He created us to be. Just trust Him, regardless of the season. 

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Speaking of the seasons of our lives, I would like to introduce you to my book Women For All Seasons, which uses stories of women of the Bible to show how God works in and through us in every season of our life. Check it out here.







     

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A Child's Wisdom

My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by hurricane Sandy. I pray that God will give you the strength and the means to make it through this trying season and, despite your suffering, show you that there is a brighter tomorrow.

I composed this post four years ago, but its content is relevant for these times. I trust that you will be blessed by it.

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My seven-year-old granddaughter looked out the window at the swaying trees, driving rain and darkened landscape, and uttered these words: "Tomorrow will be a sunny day." I remembered this remark when, about half an hour later, the clouds lifted, the pounding rain became a drizzle and the trees were still. What wisdom from a child's lips!
Her words led me to think about the storms of life. They come in all their fury, with little or no warning, scaring us, reducing us to trembling shadows of our former selves, and then, they are gone. We breathe a huge sigh of relief. Why were we afraid? Why did we worry?

It's only natural. The human mind reacts strongly to any kind of stimuli to which it is unaccustomed. We crave the familiar comforts of everyday life. We do not want anything to disturb the normal rhythm of our existence. But what is normal? Is it never having dark, gloomy days and stormy nights? Is it always rising with the sun and trying to outdo the birds with our singing? Is it always having our eggs done exactly right and finding the right pair of socks?

I think not. Life comes at you fast, to quote a modern cliche. Lightning flashes out of a clear blue sky, the postman brings a packet that you want to hurl out the window, a telephone call sends your world spinning. Life comes at you fast. Storms happen. Your boat threatens to overturn. And Jesus is asleep. You wake Him up. He comes. "Peace, be still," He says-and peace returns.

It's that simple? Well, almost. First you must have Him in your boat. If you have someone else, it may not work. Then, you must stay close to Him. During the storm my grandchildren put away their books, play stations, everything and huddled close to me. That's what you do when the storms strike. Draw near to Jesus, and tomorrow will be a sunny day.

What Do You Pray For?

Prayer is the Christian's most lethal weapon, I'm sure all Christians will agree, but when you get down on your knees or lie between the covers what do you ask God for? Do you ask Him to help you find a better job, heal your sick grandmother, help you buy a house, car, pay your bills? God is our provider, isn't He? And He does care about our basic needs, so praying for all these things is all well and good.

However, as I lay in bed meditating on God and prayer, the Holy Spirit gave me a brand new revelation. He said that all my prayer should be encapsulated in one word: contentment. Then He reminded me of this scripture by the apostle Paul, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound : every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry , both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4: 11-12) .

In this passage, Paul commended the church at Phillipi that they were once more able to continue caring for his needs, which they had ceased to do because they lacked opportunity. He was saying to them that he had learned to be content whether he was full or whether he was hungry. This was exactly what I needed, for lately I've been giving in to bouts of anxiety. When will I be able to retire? How long can I continue working the way I do? Will I ever fulfill my dream of being able to retire from my job and work from home? These thoughts and others like them do not make for a contented state of mind.

The Holy Spirit showed me that if I couldn't be content now, working at a time when a lot of people wish they were, I would not be content when I stopped working. If I couldn't be content here, I wouldn't be content there. It sobered me up and made me realize that by being discontented I was playing right into Satan's hands. I was allowing him to use me to grieve the Holy Spirit. In effect, I was saying to God, I'm   dissatisfied with you, I don't trust You to give me what I want, so I have to worry and fret and try to figure it out myself. That's a dangerous path to be on. It led the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years!

So, should we pray for the job, the house, the car, the healing? Absolutely, but when we pray for these things, let us ask God to give us contentment to wait on Him. Because when we are contented we are saying, God I trust You in this season of my life. I don't know how long it's going to last, but while I'm in it, I'm going to put on my hat, button up my coat and go out there and give it the best I have to give, because You are with me. You have promised "never to leave me or forsake me" (Hebrews 13:5) and I stand on your promises. God bless

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