SPRING INTO NEW BEGININGS

It was a beautiful spring day in the Midwest, so my wife and I took the dog for a walk. The sun was shining, it was 55 degrees, and the sky was a brilliant light blue. As we walked, the wild life was very active -  rabbits bounding around, squirrels scampering to and fro, and Canadian geese above were heading north in their customary V formation. The nice weather brought a lot of other people outside as well; people pushing their children in strollers, whiles others walked their dogs like us, all with smiles on their faces.

While we walked and enjoyed the fresh air, we could see the remnants of winter. The snow was gone, exposing the heavy layer of sand that covered the streets. Grassy areas were now brown and dormant, the trees were bare and their wet, shriveled up leaves scattered across the ground, all pointing to the end of one season and the beginning of the next.

  

Soon the springs rains will come and wash away all signs of winter. Grass will be nourished and start to turn green, and buds will begin to form on trees. Any grit from the previous season will be washed away to make room for new beginnings.

Isaiah 43: 18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and steam in the wasteland.

THE BROKEN CAN HEAL

Growing up with three brothers in a neighborhood of mostly boys, things usually got pretty physical. Being young boys we had no reservations about taunting and teasing each other; it was usually in good fun though. Every so often when we were all gathered together, usually standing around in a circle poking fun at one another, someone would get shoved into the middle of the circle. While in the middle of the circle, the other boys would push back and forth. The one in middle would try to fight their way out of the circle, but the others would just push harder. The bigger boys would typically fight their way out of the circle, while the smaller boys couldn’t make their way out. The longer someone was stuck in the circle the higher the tension would get.  Sometimes the tension would get to be too much and the boy stuck in the middle would feel like cracking and get mad. If that happened, the other boys would increase the tension and push the limits. I was usually one of the boys that would crack and get mad.  Once that happened, the fun was over and the other boys would pick me up and let me out of the circle. It took about five seconds to get over it and get back in the game. Little did we know how this exercise would teach us to endure life’s pressures

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See the new growth on this damaged tree

Recently, there were very high winds in our area for several days. The continued tension left many trees with broken and cracked branches. Trees don’t stop growing because one part is damaged; sometimes new branches come back even stronger.

Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

WHAT'S NOURISHING YOU?

This past weekend our family took a trip to northern Minnesota to visit our oldest boy in college and on our way, we drove through a small town called Floodwood. Now, over the years I’ve driven through Floodwood many times and the same thing always catches my eye, many pine trees are stunted in their growth, while ones across the road are flourishing.

Stunted on the left  and flourishing on the right

So, of course, when one has questions and needs answers, what do you do?  “Ok Google…”, or, “Hey Siri…” Those sources were helpful to a certain degree; they gave information like there are two rivers that connect nearby and that the area is very flat and prone to flooding. The information seemed to allude to the possibility that the mostly wet soil does not offer well-balanced nourishment, thus stunting their growth. Since I was not completely satisfied with the web’s information, I contacted a friend who works for the forestry department. After he explained that he works more with the social effects of forestry rather than the biology of trees, he agreed with the thought that the wet soil probably did stunt their grow…that was enough for me.

All living things need water, but water alone isn’t enough to properly nourish for a long period. Just like trees, we need well-balanced nutrition. For humans, food and water are our main source of nourishment, but it also comes from people we talk to, those who we allow to influence our lives. One of my favorite quotes is: “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

What’s feeding you; more importantly, is there something/somebody preventing your growth?

John 4:34 Then Jesus explained, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, and from finishing His work”