Longing for Spring...

We've gotten a lot of snow since Christmas. Although I haven't gone out to measure the stuff, I would estimate we have around three feet. This is the most snow I recall seeing all at once since my family moved here in 1998. This was the view from my parents' back porch a few days ago, and we've gotten more light snowfalls since. Although I have always loved the winter months, this year I find myself longing for the warmth, beauty and freshness of spring. It probably has something to do with the anticipation of our new baby.

A few days ago I read Psalm 65; what a vivid picture of spring verses 9 - 13 give us:

"You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy."

As I read this, one of my first thoughts was, "We should start the year in spring, not winter!" And suddenly I realized that we do in a sense. As the meadows turn vibrant shades of green and the bulbs we planted in winter burst forth with bright color, we rejoice in the gift of salvation, the ultimate celebration of new beginnings. How glorious it is that God chose for his Son to be crucified, buried and rise again all in the springtime. What a vivid picture he has painted for his children through this perfect timing.

As I continued pondering, I began praying for God's continued work of sanctification in my own heart. Yes, I am assured that the seed of salvation has sprouted there; but I pray that it would blossom and grow, be laden with fruit that feeds others and cast seeds that the Master takes and plants in new places. I pray for new beginnings in my own life, for the greening of the pastures, the multiplying of the flocks, the swelling of the rivers, a display of the abundance we have in God. May the hungry be fed and turned to the source of the fullness of joy.