Here in Spain the countryside is usually varying shades of brown. During the extreme heat of summer and the bitter cold of winter, the rolling hills around Madrid are dry and brown. But in Spring, with a bit of rain and mild temperatures, the hills become incredibly green. It is truly beautiful to me, having spent most of my life in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and the tropical, green climates of the Philippines. It reminds me of "home." In our family, this week is not only the first week of spring, but also my dad's birthday. If he were alive, he would be 80 this week.
With the green around me and remembering my dad, I am feeling quite nostalgic. Sometimes, it is good to look back to appreciate what God has done in our past, just as I am doing this week as I remember my earthly father and all he meant to me. But SPRING is about looking forward to new life and new adventures.
Think of your life before embracing God's love, living in the parched land of your sin. Then came the day you accepted his gift of love into your life and were able to drink of the living water, the same water that Jesus offered to the woman at the well in Samaria, moving from being parched, brown, and dying to being "green," alive and growing. This is where our adventure begins. We are changing, growing, and moving into the adventure that God has for us. Never to remain stagnant, but to always be willing to take on new challenges and to share the reason for our "spring" when the world around us is still in the dry and parched winter.
Thank you, Lord, for your gift of SPRING.