" Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19
"For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations." Isaiah 61:11
One of the areas that I've been taking care of at church has been a little display window when you first walk in the door at church. I don't do anything major or exciting, just keep it clean and arrange different elements as the seasons dictate. The first year I did it, I had a lot of fun changing it up with the seasons, yet trying to keep it classy and welcoming. I loved my display classes in college, and this is a small way I can put that talent to use. But last spring, I did a window that I thought turned out especially nice- basic, but nice. When late summer came though, and I started thinking about changing it up, life happened, and I never got around to changing it. Then fall arrived, and I had these ideas of fall leaves and pumpkins, and yet again, the change didn't happen. Of course, Christmas came next, and I had ideas of evergreens and snowflakes- things that didn't necessarily need to be changed right after Christmas.
That window is still holding the display I made for last spring. It's not because I've been lazy about taking care of it either. It was almost a puzzle for me, why was it that every time I thought about doing the window, something came up? Well, this winter has been incredibly mild and warm. We've had beautiful temperatures- yesterday it crept up close to 50, it was so warm and nice, and when I went out, I just was filled with such hope and excitement. The exact same hope and excitement that I feel come the end of March when the spring thaw finally rolls around. The winter doldrums really get to me by this time every year, and I'm just so tired of being cold. This year, it seems the winter doldrums haven't even had a chance to make an appearance. While I realize that spring may still not happen until the end of March, this mild weather just makes me think spring! It fills my heart with joy and hope and has me eagerly looking forward to tomorrow.
Because that's what spring does for me. Every year when spring rolls around I get so hopeful- the idea of new things springing forth from the ground and from the trees in the air just fills me so much with the goodness of God. The idea of experiencing spring year round is awesome to me- because it tells me that God is preparing to do a new thing! Just as every spring we watch the ground to see what flowers and plants are going to spring forth after a season of dormancy, I am also watching God, wondering what new things He has planned for His people in the days to come.
I love new. I am not one of those people who is resistant to change- I love it, and I look forward to everything constantly changing. I actually try very hard to never settle into routine or keeping things the same- every day is different. When we rolled over into the new year from the old year, I was filled with anticipation at the things that could come in this new year. Yet, as January marched on, it marched very slowly. It seemed to me to be a very long month. For me, this flip into February from January is almost more exciting than the year changing, and I can't wait to see what God has planned. Here in the United States, and in a few other places around the world, we celebrate Valentines Day in the month of February- a holiday that is all about love. Could this be the month that God unleashes His unrelenting love on His children? I'm ready for it.
I'm waiting for it, and I have expectations for it. I think I was meant to leave that spring window up as a reminder that the season of new-ness is upon us.
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