Who doesn’t love Spring!? It seems that the whole earth is alive with possibility and hope. We have been able to shed the layers of the cold winter behind us- both literally and figuratively, and as the image of the proverbial butterfly appears, we seem to step from our warm, cozy, slothful, safe cocoon and emerge as one lighter, untethered, and ready for a new adventure!
One of my favourite parts of Spring is when the weather finally begins to be warm enough for me to don the half of my wardrobe that I have been unable to wear for months. I love being able to wear no layers and pulling out my sandals and a dress and calling that a complete outfit! It does also help that most of my Summer wardrobe is filled with colour and pattern, and even this makes my heart soar.
I have noticed in our area that the first jasmine blossoms are just gently starting to bloom, and I can feel the same joy starting to bloom in my heart! In one sense, I can’t believe that I could be so swayed by the weather and that my heart can be so affected by nature, but on the other hand, it makes me again so grateful to live on the Highveld of South Africa where we can enjoy the sunshine almost 365 days a year! As Ralph Waldo Emerson so astutely observed, “The earth laughs in flowers.” May your heart be filled with joy at the sight of them this year, no matter the circumstances you are facing!
Spring also not only affects the flora around us, with these gorgeous pops of colour, happily buzzing bees and new, green growth everywhere, but it is also such a time of abundance in the animal and bird kingdoms too. If you are lucky enough to live near a farm or a reserve, you will see the abundance of tiny lambs, ducklings, calves, kids, and chicks etc.
So many gardeners also love the onset of Spring. Seemingly overnight, the garden bursts into smorgasbord of colour, sound, movement, texture, beauty, and growth. Out of what seems barren and dead, suddenly new life springs forth. It always reminds me of the Resurrection of Jesus. Following His death, all seemed hopeless and bleak. In the natural, there was nothing that could be done, all was finished and over, and yet God had the last word! Bursting with life and healing, from an impossible and dismal situation, He rose and rendered sin and death without sting. Perhaps this beautiful picture of Spring is a reminder of this bursting forth, out of death and nothingness and that should result in great rejoicing in our hearts.
As I thought of a gardener readying a bed for new planting, I was reminded of Psalm1:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
How I long to be planted by those streams of water, that neither the heat of summer, nor the cold of winter will affect me. I want to live a life from which good fruit is always available to be picked and whose leaf is not withered and tired, but prosperous and good for those around me. The only way that we can become those who are well-watered, with deep roots, that allow us to be unswerving and unmoved by the changing seasons, is by focusing on God’s Word and meditating on it, day and night.
Have you been on a picnic recently? We did, and it’s amazing that unless it is a very windy or cold day, we always gravitate towards the tree which yields the greatest shade. People will be drawn to your life and your ways, if you can consistently provide fruit that brings sustenance and abundance to a thirsty, weary soul. If you can consistently provide respite and shade for people under your leaves, you will find people drawn to you. May this drawing to ourselves always lead them to the Lord and His great mercies for all of us!
As Christina Rosetti put it, “Spring is when life’s alive in everything.” My prayer for all of us, is that God’s resurrection life and power, His Holy Spirit will be so evident in us. Not for our sake, but firstly, for His renown and glory, and secondly, that a lost and dying world will be, as bees to a flower, so enticed by His beauty and grace, through our lives, that many will come to a saving faith in Him.
How can we be more firmly planted and bear more fruit and leaves ongoingly?
1) We need to be steeped in the Word of God
I know how hard this is. As a mom of four young children, it can be surprisingly tricky to spend copious time in the Bible. However, let me encourage myself, and you, that nothing should be of higher importance. Many good things fill our days, but this time with our Father is truly what shapes us and makes us. We cannot be rooted in Him if we don’t make this a high priority and we cannot love like He does, nor serve those around us, if our starting place is not Him first.
As the Gospel story rings out, we are again and again reminded that we have nothing to offer Him. None of our own efforts are worthy, only being saved by His precious blood and believing in Him. We are so quick to fall back on our own legalism or licentiousness and it is only by gazing at Him and spending time in His word, that we again see how good and great He is, and what an honour it is for us to be able to serve and love and commune with Him in any way.
When my seasons of mothering have been particularly fraught, I have had to be quite creative in how I feast on the Word. Can I encourage you to make this a priority too? Can you listen to a Bible-app read you the Word as you fold laundry? Are you able to listen to the Word as you take a short walk? Can you put on a hymn as you dress the children or eat breakfast? Today, there are myriad ways that we can “get the Word in” to us. Remember that it may not look like what you have been used to, with a lit candle and absolute silence, but it is important. Also, don’t forget to include the Bible that you are reading to your children at school. Those passages often minister to me as I read them to my children.
2) We need to invite the Holy Spirit to use us for His purposes.
As those trees planted on the riverbank, I always imagine them with big strong roots which suck up that nourishing water and which produce that fruit and fresh greenery. We need to be those who are filled continually with the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 5 vs 18-20 it says:
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another with psalms, hymns,
and songs from the Spirit.
Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He is the One who fills us and leads us to speak to people, to impart His goodness and kindness to them and to share His love and care for them. He imparts His heart for people through us, to them. May we be continually filled with His presence so that we may discern and rightly administrate His love and care to others for His renown and for their soul care.
3) We need to be extending ourselves beyond our current spheres of influence.
We see that Jesus, as God, humbled Himself to come to earth as a human, to walk among us and make His home with us, so that many would be able to be reconciled with the Father.
We need to recognise that God uses our hospitality in many different spheres to draw others to Himself. As we love our families in an everyday basis, are we extending the love of Christ to them? As we have been filled and refreshed by His Word and His Spirit, are we extending that to those around us? For many, this may bring about an immediate feeling of guilt, but it should not. As the Father has so graciously lavished us with His love, we only need to acknowledge our own weaknesses and short comings to Him in this area and lean on His strength and love. May He truly change our hearts and show us how to love as He did. He makes it possible for us, not by human endeavour but by the power of His Word and His Spirit.
Lastly, it can be so easy for us to get caught up in our own busyness, but is there someone that the Lord has been prompting you to see? Can you plan to have them for coffee in your home, or to get your kids together for a play date in the park? Perhaps as you do your grocery shopping this week, can you make yourself more aware of the teller in front of you or the person in the queue behind you? Maybe the Lord has been stirring you to start a group, a book club, a co-op, a Bible study, a craft group, perhaps what you do in that group is less important than the people it brings together and the love that can be imparted through it!? Even further afield, how is our witness to those beyond our spheres, to the widow, the orphan, the oppressed, those in prison? Is the Lord stirring something in your heart? Let us follow His promptings and love the world with His love. Let us be well planted, well-watered, flourishing, life-giving, fruitful “trees” for His glory and renown and for the sake of a dying, broken world.
(If you enjoyed this topic and would like to delve further into it for your Mother Culture time this month, I have created a printable which contains some poems, art, recipes, music and book suggestions around this 'Spring' theme. Please feel free to download it here. I hope you enjoy the selections!)
Ditto!
Thank you for all this encouragement Robyn. So much truth here.😍