The Joys of Spring…
It’s bitterly cold, infection rates are still high, and we’ve realised we’re in this for the long haul. Are you, like me, desperate to be able to chat in person with others, to hug your friends and family? Spring might be just around the corner, but I wonder if you feel like Elijah, just wanting to curl up in a ball, saying ‘I’ve had enough, Lord’ (1 Kings 19 v.4).
My Bible reading notes reminded me that God never let Elijah out of His sight: ‘He offered Elijah nourishment and Elijah chose to receive it. He offered His sustaining presence and Elijah chose to be present to it.’ Similarly Mary, sister of Martha, chose to prioritise being in Jesus’ presence and to receive the spiritual nourishment she needed from Him. The only thing which will transform and empower us to live through this pandemic is to look to the Lord and lean on Him, to nourish our soul in order to be able to flourish this spring and beyond.
How often do we try to soldier on in our own strength? For many, the storyline of lockdown #3 has become tedious, repetitive, so we need to get creative. Let’s not let his pandemic rob us of God’s joy and peace. Let’s ask God for inspiration for ways in which to expand our limited lifestyles, deepen connections and make new ones. Now is the time to enjoy small pleasures which are still possible and which we once took for granted: if we can’t find a new route for our daily walk because we’re rained in, we can read that book we’ve been meaning to for years, watch a film or reach out to a friend. It’s raining as I write, icy rain, and I’m not feeling full of the joys of spring. Yet spring is on its way, and with it the reminder of new hope…
And hope does not disappoint, for God has poured his love into our hearts. (Romans 5:5)
The bulbs are stretching their shoots tentatively into the cold spring air; the vaccine programme is well underway, as is our new church building. When lockdown has lifted and spring has well and truly sprung, I will re-emerge from my cosy home like a bear from hibernation, well rested and ready for all God has called me to in this new season.
Nicole Barnard