Spring forward with hope
As the first yellow daffodil lifts the dirt from the formally cold ground. Its green blades protect it as it finds its way rising towards the warmth of the sun. As God paints a splash of colors alongside a variety of beautiful colors against the rolling green hills, I feel a sense of hope. The warmth shines upon my skin warming the depth of my soul as I soak in the blue of the Spring sky.
The depth of the gray of winter begins to fade away from my heart as I seem to be frozen in the moment of time. If only for this moment I revel in the miracles of God’s creation, as hope seems to reach up from the earth through the bottom of my feet reaching throughout my cells.
Amazing how Spring serves as a marker of the renewal of the world each year. With each one, creation gets a fresh coat of colors to enliven all that surrounds us. It also has the ability to enliven our souls if we only seek to share in His gifts.
For myself, I begin with short walks along the creek side, hikes in the mountains, and drives in the country. The rebirth of the greens and the white blooms of the dogwood tree seem to recharge me and allow the grayness to fade away.
Maybe it’s my mountain roots, those pioneer yearnings to head out to new horizons. I remember the stories of my grandfather’s desire even nearing 50 wishing to load up in a Conestoga wagon and head west but my grandmother’s roots could not be pulled from the mountain soil. I could just envision that with them traveling alongside the early automobiles headed westward. Her roots probably saved them from enduring some of the toughest periods of the America’s Great Depression in unchartered territories for them.
With bits of them both in me sometimes I want to stay and other times I want to go. Like my ancestors who stood on the shores of the old world looking toward America, there was hope for the new, hope for the generations to come, hope for the opportunities that could be revealed in the adventure.
That is what Spring represents, an opportunity for new adventures in the expanse of God’s beautiful creation. So, get up, get out, enjoy the world, and find the adventure that God has in store for you. He has painted something special for you, now go and find it.
