My Aversion to Spring

I don’t like spring. It is brown, cold and damp. It feels like the promise of summer is flirting with me, playing ‘hard-to-get’. It’s as unpredictable as a pre-pubescent crush. Within hours, the warmth of the sun, melting snow and ice, is pre-empted with a howling blizzard. How does one dress for the outdoors in the spring? And then…mud…Argh! No, I’m definitely a summer gal.

As I sat contemplating other reasons for not enjoying spring it occurred to me that the buds of the trees and perennials are tucked safely away in their husks all winter. In the spring they begin to crack open, leaving the tender buds vulnerable to frost, disease, pests.

Life is not so different. Who wants that?! Who likes to be vulnerable? Who wants their heart cracked open and exposed? It seems safer to put armour around our souls, so we won’t get bruised and battered. Best just to leave that stuff buried deep inside. If others can’t see what’s really going on inside me, I’m okay. Right?!

 Here’s the rub. If the husks do not crack open, new life will never emerge.

If my perennials would remain in bud stage and never break open and unfurl their leaves and display their glorious blossoms, I would cut them down and throw them out. Our Creator made them to come alive. Yes, he also created them to be safely tucked in their husks for the harsh winter months, that is essential for their survival but only for a season, and Spring will not be put off forever.

When we protect our hearts from possible hurt, we are also shutting ourselves out from possible blessings. Heart armour not only holds at bay the bad but also closes the door to the good. God is crazy about you and longs to bring out the beautiful 'you' he has created you to be.

I’ve heard people say, “I can’t possibly visit the pain of the past. I will never stop crying.” Or, “You have no idea how painful my past is. If you did, you would not ask me to go there.” Perhaps you are ‘white-knuckling’ life as you’ve come to know it and are afraid of change. We all have our own ‘husks’ we allow to cover our hearts.

I invite you to trust our gentle Shepherd with your heart. His desire is not to expose you in shame but to bring his healing balm to your wounded and frightened soul. He can only do this as you allow your soul to crack open and give him access to it.

Listen to some verses that describe his tenderness and care.

“The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 25:8, NIV84)

“You [God] keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8, NLT)

“And I [God] will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT)

A more positive aspect of Spring is the thaw after long months of short days, long nights, and frigid temperatures. The sun feels warmer, the days are longer, and water is beginning to run. This is especially evident in the mountains. I see gullies filled with rushing water. Whereas just a few months ago it was dry as a bone, now torrents of water pour down the mountainside. Hiking alongside one of these mountain streams I sit on a log and listen. I watch. Thunder. Power. The snow and ice that held the mountain captive for the long months of winter have begun to thaw. There seems to be a never-ending supply of water.

It doesn’t take long for the spring run off to bring life back to the valley. That which is closest to the water returns to life first. But even before life returns to the dormant flora and fauna, much debris is washed away. Months of dried, dead leaves and twigs have fallen. Snow mold and dust have gathered. Spring rains and rushing streams wash away the dirt to make way for new life. Spring can be a little rough as it clears the way for the better to come along.

Water from a mountain spring is the best tasting water I have ever quaffed. Were it not for the thaw of Spring we would never taste that glorious water. Is there a wellspring inside you waiting to burst forth? I encourage you to give our gentle Father access to your soul so he can bring the healing necessary to awaken the real you giving you the pure joy to unfurl without restraint, bringing refreshment to those around you. You have much to give. He has much to give to you.

No, I am not a fan of Spring, but I am a fan of Summer. It sucks that Spring is necessary for all the glorious things of Summer to be realized. Birds singing, flowers blooming, fish jumping in the lake as my sweetheart and I paddle around in the canoe, trees offering shade for us in the hammock, the sun warming my skin. So, in light of the hope of Summer I welcome Spring. I welcome the cracking open of the dried hard husks that attempt to protect my soul. The husks have served their purpose and now is the time for new life to burst forth. I welcome the rushing water, even if it seems a little frightening at times, to wash away all that no longer belongs, making room for new life to emerge.

“For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.” (Isaiah 44:3–4, NLT)

May you dare to crack open this Spring and move into a thriving Summer.