Spring Weeds and Daffadils

Spring is here. Somewhere? You wouldn’t know it by what you see outside right now, but believe the calendar before the weather. Most of you know, more then “city folk,” that spring is a very special time of year. Anyone who is in some way connected to the earth recognizes spring and what is coming. The answer is - everyone together - WEEDS!
You know I am kidding. The real answer is that spring is the beginning of the life cycle. Spring starts with bulbs springing out of the ground. Then other things spring. Maybe that is where the word comes from. Over the years I have written about spring and new growth. One thing I have never said up until now is, spring is the time of year when we get to clean up the mess.
Take a look out your windows. In front of the marvelous sunrise is all that ‘stuff’ left by winter. We got a head start on spring last weekend. With the weather being better then this coming weekend, we took time to clean up all the damage from winters’ storms and snow. It is surprising how much there was. We now have nine full leaf bags on the driveway and this does not include the garbage. Most of the time as we clean up we have to ask ourselves where does all this come from? The garden looked great last fall. The mums and pansies were blooming and all the leaves had been raked and disposed of. It had been a wonderful growing season that stretched into January and the garden had been put to bed. Then winter happened.
The same can be said of our lives. Winter happens to us. These are the times that mess up our lives when we let our guard down and the world seeps in. Storms of life come and some rain must fall. When the storms pass by we pick up the pieces and start again. Easter is that time when we start fresh with the beauty of Christ coming alive in us. Lent as we understand it, is a time of cleaning up our lives. A time of giving up something for God and living without the sin, garbage and debris. To move on in our relationship with Christ there is a need to clean house. We have to remove all the things that inhibit us from being productive and as beautiful as God intended for us to be. The writer of Hebrews says, “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles . . . ” The wonderful part of this is, we get to bloom for Him. How much ‘spring’ is in you. Happy Easter! He Is Risen!
Rob