I am absolutely enamored by spring. Each season has its own special beauty, but to me, spring holds the most magical wonder of them all. From the deep cold earth, long covered by snow, the daffodils bravely push upwards their bladed leaves cutting through dirt that gives way to glory. The temperatures slowly warm as the sunlight increases. The warmth kisses my face and I smile. Day by day, little by little, the green appears -- barely, and then, almost all at once. There it is!
Spring is full of hope. Maybe I love spring so much because of its contrast. From winter so dark, cold and dormant to a season filled with new life - the transformation is so evident! When the weather outside starts to warm, I find my spirit mirroring the longing for new life. The changing seasons show us that things don’t always have to stay the way they have been. Something new is happening here. Don’t miss it.
In the spring, the gardener sees the fruit of planting bulbs in the fall. After sitting cold and dormant, they come bursting forth as the herald of newness. In life there are so often periods of waiting that we must endure before any visible signs of something new (James 5:7). We must not give up on those prayers we prayed and the ways in which we have tried to follow God. But during the spring, the gardener gets dirty again down on her hands and knees, pulling weeds, clearing the dead debris, planting new seeds, watering and watching. This is our work, too.
In his book Spiritual Rhythms, Mark Buchanan describes the activities of a spiritual “spring.” (Although he clearly states that spiritual seasons don’t necessarily coincide with physical ones, I can’t help but find myself in a place of spiritual, emotional, and physical renewal when the world around is blossoming with so much hope!)
First we wake up to what God is doing in and around us.
“Awake, awake, clothe yourself in your strength, O Zion...Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:1-2 (NASB)
For me recently, this has taken the form of a gratitude list as well as reading back through old journals. For a while I had felt out of sync with God, disconnected somehow. Through the simple act of trying to notice and write down the “little things,” I have grown more awake to where God is working in my life. I also revisited my coffee-stained journals from last year that had sat for too long on the dusty shelf. As I reread my prayers and thoughts from only a few months ago, I felt my spirit reawakening to things God had planted in my heart long before now.
Then we plow.
“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12 (NIV)
Plowing comes in the form of renewing our spiritual disciplines - prayer and Scripture. We lean in and listen in order to obey the One who calls us. Buchanan calls it the “discipline of deeper attentiveness”. Return to those things that connect you to God. Perhaps it is daily Bible reading or even memorizing a passage of Scripture. Maybe it is daily intentional prayer or even another spiritual discipline like fasting.
During spring we also plant new things and allow God to plant new things in us.
“Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (NASB)
We may be launching into a new phase of ministry or responding in some other way to something new God is asking us to step into. Buchanan warns against planting haphazardly, though. We must also protect and nurture the new thing like a gardener tends to the new plants carefully so that they grow to be strong and beautiful. I’ve recently stepped into some new leadership opportunities and I’ve had to be very intentional about carving out time for them. I am eagerly expectant to see what God is going to do in this uncharted territory.
Lastly, we clean.
“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.” Ephesians 5:13 (NASB)
Soul “spring cleaning” occurs when we reflect on our days and clean out what needs to be removed. We open up the doors and windows and brush away the cobwebs. We don’t want debris and dead things taking up space in our hearts and lives. In order for God to continue to grow new things in us, we must continually declutter. I sat down recently to do a little life inventory. I like using a simple little tool I’ve learned where I sift through things in my life and categorize where I am feeling failure, frustration, battle, and breakthrough. It’s not necessarily pretty, but definitely needed. After bringing things to light, it always feels easier to move forward.
I don’t know if you are in a spiritual “spring” or perhaps just desire to be there like I so often do. While the world around us is waking to life, may we too awaken to what God is doing and then do the work to prepare our hearts for the new things He may have for us in a new season. He is the one who ultimately causes the flower to push forth. The gardener can only prepare the ground, plant the seed, tend to it, and watch what comes.
Let’s prepare the way for God to work in our hearts and lives and be amazed at how beautifully and miraculously He works.
~Meredith M.
