Signs of Spring
One of my absolute favorite things is hearing birds chirping in the morning.
It is always sad to me when the sound of birds outside my window as I get ready for the day disappears come late fall and winter. Though I now am more thankful for the seasons and the ebb and flow of life that causes their absence, it still makes me sad when this sign of the colder more gloomy seasons shows itself. However, after a while I grow accustomed to the lack of chirping and don't think about it anymore.
...and then there is always that first day, as the spring season begins to show, that I hear the birds outside again for the first time. It's like a breath of fresh air, even if the weather is not yet warm enough to get me to come out from hibernation, the sound of birds brings me such joy. The sound of life and hope for new things right outside my window.
Growing up, whenever this would start happening, me, my mom, and my sisters would always look to see who could spot the first robin or red winged black bird so we could officially declare that "spring is on its way!" And while I have not seen any *robins yet, I know others have, and I have seen other spring birds, which makes me so incredibly grateful because just as much as I have talked about needing Lent, I also need spring.
A time for the rebirth and renewal of creation, limited as it may be to the budding of trees, return of the birds, and the baby animals that will soon be joining us, this small version of new creation is refreshing and brings about hope and life. It is a sign of the renewal and redemption that will be fully realized in the end, and this miniature new creation happens every year. Every year we get to be reminded that new creation is on its way, and not only do we get to see the reminder, but we are invited into it.
You know that feeling in the spring where you just want to do all the things and clean and bask in the sunshine and you feel like things have a fresh start? Okay, maybe you don't feel the need to clean...but still, you know what I'm talking about, right? That is an invitation to join in this new creation. We are invited to step into a fresh start, a renewal of ourselves. Not that you have to recreate yourself entirely, but that we have the opportunity to feel refreshed and be intentional about the way we interact with the world, with others, with God, and with ourselves.
It's different than the "newness" of a new year resolution, which often falls flat a few weeks in. This repetitive seasonal refreshment shows us that we can be renewed in a way that counting down to midnight and simply saying you are "going to do things differently" does not. We join with all of creation in a new season of life and hope. We join the birds as they chirp with new life, we join the budding trees as they stretch and bloom, we join the animals as they come out from hiding and embrace the newness that comes with a new season.
I don't know about you, but this is good news to me.
It makes me feel lighter, more free to live into the life God has called me to. One that embraces hope, truly lives and loves life, cares for creation, and invites others to join.
While birds chirping outside your bathroom window might not be the "thing" that causes you to get excited about spring and what that means to you, I hope this will help you think about what that sign might be and how you can answer the invitation to join in with the excitement.
*as of posting this I have now seen a robin, so we're officially into the spring season, by calendar date and bird sighting!
It is always sad to me when the sound of birds outside my window as I get ready for the day disappears come late fall and winter. Though I now am more thankful for the seasons and the ebb and flow of life that causes their absence, it still makes me sad when this sign of the colder more gloomy seasons shows itself. However, after a while I grow accustomed to the lack of chirping and don't think about it anymore.
...and then there is always that first day, as the spring season begins to show, that I hear the birds outside again for the first time. It's like a breath of fresh air, even if the weather is not yet warm enough to get me to come out from hibernation, the sound of birds brings me such joy. The sound of life and hope for new things right outside my window.
Growing up, whenever this would start happening, me, my mom, and my sisters would always look to see who could spot the first robin or red winged black bird so we could officially declare that "spring is on its way!" And while I have not seen any *robins yet, I know others have, and I have seen other spring birds, which makes me so incredibly grateful because just as much as I have talked about needing Lent, I also need spring.
A time for the rebirth and renewal of creation, limited as it may be to the budding of trees, return of the birds, and the baby animals that will soon be joining us, this small version of new creation is refreshing and brings about hope and life. It is a sign of the renewal and redemption that will be fully realized in the end, and this miniature new creation happens every year. Every year we get to be reminded that new creation is on its way, and not only do we get to see the reminder, but we are invited into it.
You know that feeling in the spring where you just want to do all the things and clean and bask in the sunshine and you feel like things have a fresh start? Okay, maybe you don't feel the need to clean...but still, you know what I'm talking about, right? That is an invitation to join in this new creation. We are invited to step into a fresh start, a renewal of ourselves. Not that you have to recreate yourself entirely, but that we have the opportunity to feel refreshed and be intentional about the way we interact with the world, with others, with God, and with ourselves.
It's different than the "newness" of a new year resolution, which often falls flat a few weeks in. This repetitive seasonal refreshment shows us that we can be renewed in a way that counting down to midnight and simply saying you are "going to do things differently" does not. We join with all of creation in a new season of life and hope. We join the birds as they chirp with new life, we join the budding trees as they stretch and bloom, we join the animals as they come out from hiding and embrace the newness that comes with a new season.
I don't know about you, but this is good news to me.
It makes me feel lighter, more free to live into the life God has called me to. One that embraces hope, truly lives and loves life, cares for creation, and invites others to join.
While birds chirping outside your bathroom window might not be the "thing" that causes you to get excited about spring and what that means to you, I hope this will help you think about what that sign might be and how you can answer the invitation to join in with the excitement.
*as of posting this I have now seen a robin, so we're officially into the spring season, by calendar date and bird sighting!
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