Like A Garden
Spring is in full bloom! I think this is my favorite season change; it's the one I anticipate the most! I guess because a few weeks into January and I'm ready to be done with winter. Plus, February being the shortest month always seems the longest, too. Anyone else?
There are many beautiful things I love about Spring. More daylight, the trees' blooms and flowers, the vibrant bright colors, and a personal favorite thing is changing up my wardrobe. Does anyone else get excited about pulling out the spring wardrobe?
I've heard this song on the radio, called Spring Time. And it makes the comparison that God's love is like springtime. As I thought about the comparison, so many things came to mind about how accurate that beautiful comparison is. I think of all the things I love about Spring and how each season is so purposefully placed. It makes me be in awe of God's greatness and attention to every detail. He makes everything meaningful and valuable for our purpose and understanding of His greatness.
I can't help but think how fitting this season is for God to do something extraordinary. Spring the season of flourishment and beauty all around. Stepping out and displaying God's glory. Sounds so pretty, yet so scary to put into action. I think about how we are God's masterpiece and also a work in progress, all in one. It's what attracts the need of God in my life. The necessity of His daily grace and guidance.
I don't know if God has been speaking to you about something, giving you a big dream, or impulsing you to take some steps of faith. That's precisely where I find myself. I can trust that He is up to something great, no doubt there, yet struggle with believing it could be through me. I feel like I can fully trust in some areas. Still, there are other areas that I struggle with. I find myself asking the Lord to help me grow in these unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and vulnerable ways. Because I don't want to miss out on the beauty that this season holds and the plans God has for me.
Maybe you can relate or possibly have felt this way before. Perhaps you find yourself in a different season, facing a different struggle. Remember to enjoy the journey (I'm sure you have heard that before.) The journey requires a lot of trust and patience. I always think the journey is where all the action is. The goal/accomplishments/destination is momentary (well, at least here on earth, right). Because once you achieve the thing, then we naturally strive for the next thing. We don't camp out on the one goal. Before long, we desire more, asking the Lord for direction for the future. It's the excitement of life. There is a season for developing, for thriving, for reaping, for rest. Each one is so essential and beneficial. So no matter what season you are in, it is worthwhile.
So no matter what season you find yourself in, God's love is like all the seasons because every season has its own beauty. And if you are struggling with having peace of trusting God in the season you are in, think back to previous journeys you have walked. God helped you through those too! Even when the road was more challenging than you wished, or things didn't turn out the way you wanted. God is good and redeems even the darkest of days. He has a plan for each one of us.
The enemy wants to steal, kill, and destroy your trust in God. It isn't enough for him to steal it; he wants to kill and destroy it. So he takes those opportunities when we are down to inject lies and doubt. For me, the realization of this gives me what I need to keep trusting God. Because doubt comes, disappointments too. But God, He gives life to what seems to be lost. He gives us hope and renews our strength. He speaks life, and His word reminds us that we are called for His purpose and grace. God, in His grace, chose me even before I was born and called me to serve him (Gal 1:15).
He tends to the soil of our soul (from the song, Springtime). Even when I doubt or (insert your personal struggle), He keeps loving us and doesn't get tired of tending to our need of Him. Our dependence on God makes us whole and is life-giving. It seems a bit contradictory. But if we realize how life-giving that concept is, I think it really changes our perspective on trusting God for everything.