And with the onset of spring come thoughts of Easter… new
life… and new beginnings… thoughts of trimming the lawn or perhaps tilling the
soil… getting outside for long walks or a gathering of friends and family for
an afternoon cook out… we wave good-bye, for now, to the cold bleak days of
winter… to a time of desolation and barrenness…yet this spring… today… I sit
here with the COVID cloud over my head… And just as on this day gloomy clouds
hang overhead blocking the light and warmth of the sun… the darkness of this
COVID cloud tries to block the light of My Son… God’s Son… but the Son of God
shines through…
The other day… as I was looking into my yard… it was a cloudy
day and I knew rain was on the way… suddenly I saw a group of birds gathering
there… hopping from place to place… as they got closer to me I could see that
they were robins… red breasted robins… for me a sure sign of spring… I stepped
out on my deck and heard their chirps as they went about their business of
finding the next morsel of food… it was just as if God Himself were leaning
down and whispering into my ear… ‘it’s all going to be okay… I’ve got this…
nothing goes on in the world that I don’t have control over’ … and the
peacefulness beyond understanding settled in. Immediately I was reminded of the
verse from Matthew 6:26-27 “26 Look at the birds of the
air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly
Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of
you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” … which always leads me
to Philippians 4:6-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.” And Psalm 94:19 “When anxiety
was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”
Spring is a season of new life… new beginnings… new blessings…
and it’s God’s way of reminding us of the hope we have in Him. His promises are
filled with hope… love and grace for the day. He promises not that we will feel
no pain and despair… only that He’s working all things together for our good.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.” We may not… will most likely not… know His purpose at the time
of our trials… and we will always encounter trials… whether on a global level
or on a personal level… but we can always be assured of the fact that He is
there… working on our behalf… shaping our lives for the best results possible…
That doesn’t mean a pain free life… or a life filled with the riches of this
world… but it does mean that once we are
His… He will not abandon us. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be
strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the
Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So as you go about your week… at the proper ‘social distance’
… take time to smell the flowers… take time to listen to the birds sing… take
time to sit quietly and listen to God speak to your heart…. He’s there …
waiting with open arms…. Listening with attentive ears…. To give you a hope and
a future.
Just like we are shedding the cold and bleakness of winter as
we usher in the warm spring months ahead… purge all of those bleak feelings of
doubt and fear and let “the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ”
(Philippians 4:7) For Jesus told us… tells us… in John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world.”
Submitted by Joan Paschal
Member: Bethel UMC
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