Springtime!

I was greeted this morning, as I opened the living room blinds, by the sight of a hard freeze as evidenced by the white roofs on all the houses within my view.  I don’t know about you… but I am still waiting to welcome in the actual beginning of spring… ever since my hope was peaked when I saw the line on my calendar from a week ago Monday, that read “First Day of Spring.” 

As I opened the front door each morning this week and prepared to step outside for Fiver’s and my early stroll along the golf course, my excitement of seeing bright blue skies instantly vaporized as I swung open the heavy glass storm door that separates the entryway from the porch.  The shocking reality of cold temperatures and icy northern winds caused me to quickly toss off my baseball cap and replace it with a warm knit wool stocking cap!

I had high hopes that today was going to be different as I had noticed that last night’s forecast for this morning predicted warmer temperatures and minimal winds from the south.  But you know… I just had to wait another hour or so for that prognostication to come true.  As the sun rose higher in the sky, the hard frost quickly dissipated and the dog and I were able to take an enjoyable walk with a light coat and my San Francisco Giants baseball cap… so we’ll see if my revitalized excitement for the REAL spring weather holds true!

The frost on the house tops wasn’t all negative though!  The one thought that its sight brought to me this morning, was the verses of scripture that I have been studying in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah.  The namesake of this book began his prophetic ministry during some golden times in Israel’s history that soon evaporated into very difficult times when the God-fearing king Josiah was killed and Israel was subjected to years of persecution and captivity by Babylonian Empire.

When the Lord first began to talk to Jeremiah about his ministry call, He encouraged the young man by telling him of the authority that He was giving to his office and informed him that: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth….” And then asked Jeremiah saying,

“What do you see?”  To which Jeremiah answered, “I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter.]”  And the Lord replied, “You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it.”  (Jeremiah 1:9-12 – AMP-C)

According to notes in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, “The almond tree in Palestine has been compared to the snowdrop with us, as giving one of the first signs of approaching spring… and hence he (Jeremiah) correctly sees in this harbinger of the spring a sign that the hard frost is about to break and new life to spring from the soil.”

So therefore, even though Israel would go through many years of hardships and troubles and things didn’t look too good for the nation at that time, God basically showed the prophet that springtime was just around the corner!  That the hard frost of tribulation was about to break and new life would spring forth from the soil.

Which relates directly to how I was disappointed when I looked out the window this morning.  I was anticipating that I would see the results of warmer weather but instead was faced with a hard frost on the rooftops of the homes in my neighborhood.  But while my hope for spring was put on hold for another day, my faith in the coming of warmer days was not dashed.  A quick glance at the multiple weather apps on my phone all agreed that consistent warm weather and the excitement of Oklahoma lawns coming out of dormancy for a promising new season of greenery and growth, is literally just around the bend!

The sight of frost and the picture of the blossoming of the olive tree also makes me think of our personal lives.  We all go through different seasons of life… some when we are blossoming in most everything we do… and others where the cold frosts of life take the center stage.  But just like the promise of spring, we take our trust in the natural cycle of life and more importantly… in the promises of God’s Word that always gives us a hope for a brighter future... for those sprouts of life that push their way through the hard soil in the gardens of our lives!

So, you know what I think?  I think that we should all choose to take the Lord’s encouraging words directly to heart, to take the time to study and learn of His promises to us and then… believe for and EXPECT him to call us by name and say…

“ “____________ (put your name n here) You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My Word to perform it.” 

Then look for the sprouting of new growth everywhere you need it to manifest itself in your lives!

Have a great rest of your week, and as you do… keep EXPECTING the BEST of the springtime of God in your lives!