"Autumn" conjures up mental pictures of cooler weather, crisp apples, the colors in trees, going back to school, the harvest, Thanksgiving and football games.
"Winter" may cause you to think of Christmas, New Year's, frost, snow, roaring fireplaces, bare trees, family gatherings or basketball.
But what is your first thought when you hear the word "spring?" Do you think of the breezes that come in March or the rains that come in April? Do you think of the tender shoots of grass, the returning birds, or the fragile little flowers that bloom? It may be Easter or the Resurrection, or spring break and the approaching end of the school year.
Spiritually speaking, which of the seasons would you use to describe your relationship with God right now? Perhaps you are feeling or have felt that period in your life which could be described as "winter," when your very soul seems to have been frozen in suspended animation. Perhaps your relationship with God is stale and flat; your spirit is suffocating from want of a breath of fresh air from God;
your heart feels restricted and confined.
David did not use the seasons to represent his walk with God, but he did use a rather unique expression to describe what God had done for him: "You have set my heart free!" (Psalm 119:32).
God can indeed set your heart free! He can give you a spiritual springtime, a renewal of your spirit, a rejuvenation of your relationship to Him. Your soul can open up and blossom under the warmth of His love.
And it can happen today.
--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com