The Hope Of Spring

We Minnesotans are ready for Spring. My 4th graders are going absolutely stir crazy (even after a week long “spring” break), and the faculty is even more impatient for all that comes with nicer weather. The last two days have been tantalizingly warm. Yesterday’s 54 degree weather had the birds chirping, the snow melting, and the people stirring for runs, walks, and outdoor lounging.

As seasonal sadness began to creep in the last few weeks, my only hope was to marinate in the portions of scripture that explicitly state God’s goodness and promises. Sometimes I am horrified at how quickly I forget His sovereignty. I am prone to wander. My mind is prone to succumbing to fear, anxiety, and even depression rather than the hope of Spring – literally and figuratively – that is promised by our Creator.

Yesterday as the sunlight streamed in and the chatter and chirping of life resurfaced I was stirred to dig into the promise of Spring. Here is what I saw today as I enjoyed the Springlike weather with a sweet 5 year old, along with the promise God laid on my heart from Isaiah 43:15-19 and 43:1.

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? 

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

I am the Lord, your Holy One.

He cares for us. He desires to wash us clean and purify us. He has done great things, and He has more to do – do you perceive it?

I’ll admit, in the last few weeks my perception has been off, but I perceive it today. I see His faithfulness, His goodness, His kindness. I see His providence and favor in the form of sunlight streaming onto my floral sneakers, rapidly melting the snow into puddles for jumping, thawing out a child’s playground… Spring is coming. For Minnesota, and for my sometimes frozen heart.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Learning Curve

Looking back on my life I can pinpoint several significant changes that required huge adjustment and helped me to learn important things about who I am. At age 12 my family moved from California to Minnesota. At age 15 one of my best friends moved hundreds of miles away. At age 17 I graduated and prepare to move to Morris for college. Most recently at age 20, I got married to an incredible man.

That week before the wedding was full of laughter, excitement, anticipation, and the gathering of many people we love and cherish. 5 + years of relationship had built up to that day, August 4th 2012. Gabe and I were surrounded by incredible family and friends as we said our vows and became Mr & Mrs.

The intention of a wedding is to commit yourself to your significant other for life. To promise in front of friends and family that you will love and cherish this person to the very end. But most important for Gabe and I it was/is to represent the relationship between Christ and his church. For this reason, our wedding held meaning far deeper than the surface beauty of a gorgeous white gown, lovely yellow flowers, and delicious cake. 1 John 4:7-10 held the key to what we were choosing to do and display that day. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…”

Over the last year it has been a journey for sure, and I can’t think of a better description than calling it a learning curve. I have learned (sometimes quickly, sometimes very slowly) how to be a wife to my best friend. I have found out that my angry can be very ugly. My sad can be very crippling. My joy can be completely all encompassing. And that my love for Gabe and his love for me is the most solid thing in this world and a gift that can only be explained  by the grace and love of God.

I have been given the privilege of loving a man who is kind, humble, gracious, and most importantly seeking after God’s own heart. I am so grateful for everything that led up to our wedding day. It truly was a beautiful and one of a kind day. We experienced the love of God so greatly in the little things our friends and family did the weeks leading up to the wedding. But honestly, I am just as thankful for every day afterwards. 362 days I have had so far to get to grow, change, and learn with my husband. I can’t even begin to fathom what this next year will hold, and I can’t wait.

Photos by http://emmazingphotography.com/