One of the best things about spring is the return of green. After months of browns, blacks, and grays, the landscape begins to change. At first, it’s an almost imperceptible shift as buds form, adding dimension to bare branches. Clumps of irises green up, interspersed with hints of purple flowers yet to bloom. The hydrangea bush, that looked like a bunch of sticks with no hope of renewal boasts new green almost overnight and the grass becomes a verdant carpet.
Perhaps you are in need of a little greening. Maybe you are still wearing the mindset of winter, wrapped in drab garments of lingering illness, seasonal depression, low energy, and lack of motivation. Walk outside, look around, and rejoice. Sap is rising. Green has returned, and with it, renewed energy is springing forth.
New warmth – When you heat food or light a candle, it doesn’t take long for a pleasant aroma to flood your senses. It’s the same in nature. The smells of flowering plants and the warming earth replace the smells of mold and decay. Take a whiff. Can you smell something cooking? —a concept or new endeavor that beckons. Add green to the bare idea branches. Flesh it out and take the next steps.
New ideas – I once worked with a woman whose greeting almost every morning was, “How ya percolatin’ this morning?” As a twenty-something, who didn’t drink coffee, I thought that an archaic and odd greeting, however, looking back, I suppose it made sense at the beginning of a new day.
Coffee pots were once called percolators. The pot itself wasn’t see-through, but had a little glass dome on the top of the lid which allowed you could watch the coffee perk, through a basket filled with coffee grounds, to the top of the pot once the water heated.
Think of your mind as the glass dome. With the return of green and the coming warmth of spring, expect fresh ideas and new perceptions. Just as growing plants need nourishment to continue to grow, so you need to feed and water those ideas. Grab hold of them, let them percolate, and move forward with them.
New growth – As a child, I remember the ache of growing pains. Childhood is not the end of growing pains. No matter what age, we still encounter situations and people who stretch us and force us to grow beyond what is comfortable. Growth may involve pushing yourself to do something you don’t feel capable of or attempting something you’ve always said you couldn’t do. Growth may involve some initial discomfort. Risk it and see what blooms.
New life – In spring, not only do plants clothe themselves in returning green, but new life emerges. Nests fill with chirping. Young animals appear. Infants kept inside away from winter weather and illness suddenly begin appearing with families in restaurants, stores, and at church. These sweet little ones remind us renewed hope and the promise of new life.
Easter does the same. The remembrance of Christ’s death for our sins and His resurrection infuses with new hope and new life. The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. So throw off your winter clothing along with grave cloth mentality. Green up your mind and heart. Expect new growth and new direction. Trust God to guide your steps and provide new opportunities as you move forward.
“Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become more like him.” Colossians 3:10 NLT