looking for spring

When will spring be here? That’s been a question in my home for the past month or so. I live with people who love to play in the dirt and garden and see the signs of ne w life that emerge. There is a unique joy in seeing the first buds on the trees and bushes. There’s a thrill in seeing what we know is on its way actually begin to show up.

We’ve been answering that question in relation to the date on the calendar, March 21. But this is a spiritual question for us too, of course.

“When will spring be here?” can also be a way of wondering…

• When will my work be noticed by people who matter?
• When will my children begin making decisions I’m prouder of?
• When will my parents meaningfully trust me?
• When will my grief become bearable?
• When will my faults stop dragging me down?

Thankfully, our God enjoys playing in the dirt too. He saw dirt and imagined something more. And he said, “Let us create humanity in our image” (Genesis 1:26-31). But we left the playfulness of creativity with the dirt outside. We traded that healthy enjoyment of God’s creation for idolatries that get dirt on the soul. And God again imagined something more. Jesus became like one made of dirt in order to clean us from the dirt on the soul (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The hope of Easter, the hope of resurrection, is something like buds on branches, the hope of spring. In Jesus’ resurrection, we see evidence that heaven has gained a foothold in our world and that signs of new life are beginning to show up in people’s lives and in situations that seemed hopeless.