I love when spring comes around because, for me, it is a time of excitement! I am excited about the new life around me - the green grass, green trees and then all of the colors exploding from flowers! Especially after Easter I can see that things are really starting to bloom and I can start planting. And of course I am excited because summer is coming and I am going to be in my happiest place - in, on or under salt water!
As I have said before spring stands for plants and trees coming back to life after being dormant for winter, as well as the birth of new life in the animal world. It seems only natural that we just celebrated the resurrection of Jesus during this time of new life and rebirth. Spring is such a time of faith! If you have ever planted a seed expecting to grow a vegetable, fruit or flower then you had faith in something you could not see! In time, that seed sprouted and you got excited to see a little green shoot. Everyday you watched it grow. You watered and made sure it had the right amount of sun or shade. Otherwise, you had to wait. If you are like me some days I go out and it is like I should have seen it physically growing because it grew overnight! Usually after a big rain. God's water is always the best!
Easter is over but I am ready to see new spiritual growth, beautiful changes and hope! I thank God for the storms of life that make us grow. Just like the flowers grow and bloom after a storm. We also have to thank God for the tough times our children have to go through - and that is especially hard but I trust God to bring good from the tough times for those who love Him. Romans 8: 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
No matter how hard I work in my garden, my efforts alone don’t force plants to grow. I do my part by carefully planting, watering, fertilizing, and pruning — and then I wait and trust that God will do His part to cause the growth. We trust that God will provide sun, shade, water and even earthworms to aerate the soil. During the winter we trust God that the plant loses its greenery for His reason. The bulb knows it needs to rest and transform and store up energy for spring. When that bulb finally sprouts again we see the blooms unfurl. We marvel at what God is doing. And we are trusting Him with these plants.
1 Corinthians 3: 7, "So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." We are to plant seeds and let God do the rest. God is our Provider. We cannot do it alone. We plant and trust. Psalm 104: 14, "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate— bringing forth food from the earth..." We trust and wait! Isn't this how it is with our lives? Seeds are planted. God uses the rain and the storms of our life to help us bloom. In His time we are transformed and bloom.
God uses the branch and vine to show us how we are to live. John 15: 1-2, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." John 15: 4-5, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
God is the vine and we are the branches. Unless we are in close connection with the vine we can not bear fruit! A branch only thrives when it is able to receive the nourishment of the vine. We cannot bear any lasting fruit in our lives unless we maintain a close relationship with God.
When we are put with others who are blooming God sees us as a beautiful bouquet!