There’s Reasons for the Seasons: Spring (2 of 5)

The cold and dreariness of Winter is past and the blossoms begin to appear. It is the season of renewal. The birds are singing, the honeybees are getting back to work. Butterflies and hummingbirds grace the air that flows through my backyard.

My wife Sheryl had planted some tulip bulbs last winter. Bulbs are interesting, they are like seeds with a delay switch on them. You plant them, you forget about them, and then one day you walk out and you say, Wow!

We do truly reap what we sow. Spring reminds brings the new growth that seems as if it were busting forth from nowhere, but in reality it is the confirmation of past plantings.

Dr. Charles Stanley says, “We reap what we sow, more than we sow, and later than we sow.”

Some of the plants that have bloomed in my yard did it on their own. Those plants are called perennials for a reason! Others need to be replanted annually, and some just live for a season or two. Spring reminds us that we must enjoy some things while we can. Blooms do not last forever.

People have seasons too. They do not come with the regularity of our natural seasons, but they do come to all of us. To recognize our seasons of life we need more than a calendar.

What time in your life do you most associate with Springtime?

I found myself thinking of the days of my youth. I suppose most people would find themselves drawn back to the exciting days of their yesteryears. The anticipation of a journey not yet taken and all of the endless possibilities that lay ahead!

The Springtime of life is not only reserved for the young. Many of us have had great new opportunities in the later years of our lives. God specializes in new beginnings. Maybe you have opened a new business or are pursuing a new course of learning.

Some of us may be feeling the Winter of old habits or addictions that die hard. You may have been in a season of grieving over the loss of a loved one or the loss of a dream. There is good news! Spring can come to you and warm your hurting soul!

Maybe you have entered into the Springtime of a new relationship. The excitement of sharing our lives with someone we love is one of God’s greatest gifts. It is a time for establishing a firm foundation which will lead us into the other seasons of life with a commitment to one another which goes beyond mere circumstances and feelings.

Springtime does not last, but it does return again and again. It is important in the Springtime of life to ask what kind of seeds we are sowing into the fields of our lives and the lives of those we love and care about.

The seeds of deeds done out of a heart of kindness and compassion toward others with a view to eternity bring about the kind of harvest that does not bring regret or disappointment.

The Apostle James put it this way, “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:17–18, NLT)

In what ways is it Springtime in your life? Is it time to make a break with some old ways and make a new beginning?

Make sure to take some time out to enjoy the sights and sounds of Springtime in your world and in your heart. Oh, and don’t forget to smell the roses!