Soul Seasons, Part 2: Spring

Ah, springtime. I love when winter begins to withdraw, and spring slowly takes center stage. You know that part of spring where things are still colorless and muddy? That's not quite my favorite; however, the part of spring where creation has come to life, and newness is in full swing, now that is more my cup of tea. It's funny though, because even the muddy part of spring is a welcome change from the lingering frigidity of winter, isn't it? Ralph Waldo Emerson said "The Earth laughs in flowers." How right he is. There is a joy that creation bubbles out when springtime rolls around.

So how do you know when you are experiencing springtime of the soul? Well, look around the landscape of your heart. Do you see sudden growth in areas that you didn't notice before? Are you seeing victory where there once was defeat? Are you enjoying and appreciating the beauty of God in the most "muddy" of places? Then, my friend, spring has sprung in your soul. To clarify though, just as seasons can overlap in creation, so seasons of the soul can overlap as well. You might feel a sampling of many seasons, but undoubtedly, there is one that emerges to the forefront. 

The change in climate demands a change in everyday life. What do I mean? Well, for example, in spring, there are things I need to put away, clean up, and rearrange. There are things I do out of necessity, and there are things I want to do because I want some eye candy after a long winter. When you are in springtime of the soul, there are things you have to do out of necessity, and things that you can do for fun. The two concepts I'm about to share are by no means comprehensive, but just a few thoughts that come to mind when new life is all around your soul.

Put Away

"...Let us put everything out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should..." Hebrews 12: 1b

There are all kinds of beautiful things growing inside you, my friend! Maybe you have a new dream, passion, or calling. Maybe you are noticing that you're walking in new freedom and victory in your life. If you are growing like a weed, it's time to make room for that growing. There's this sudden urge a lot of people get in the spring that is called "spring cleaning." Maybe you're not among those folks, but hear me out for a bit. Something about the confining winter makes our worlds seem smaller, doesn't it? Then the thaw comes, and suddenly, the world seems bigger as the piles of snow get smaller. It's almost as if everyone wants to maximize all that space gained from winter's demise. Not only are dust bunnies being swept away, but there are those mercilessly de-cluttering closets, garages, and basements. Goods, clothing and furniture are burgeoning on thrift store platforms. That is what we must do when we are growing. What habits have we developed in long soul winters that need to be kicked to the curb? What spiritual clutter is littering our hearts and minds? What can we ask God to illuminate that needs to go so that room can be made for growth? These are all questions pregnant with potential to change the atmosphere of our souls.

Beautify

"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." Proverbs 24: 3-4

One of my favorite things to do in the spring is bring something beautiful into my living spaces. I purchased a few candles, gave my bedroom a little makeover with things I already owned, and made a nautical themed wreath to put on my door. Spring is a time when finding beautiful things is easy. Spiritually though, beauty goes beyond just having good taste. There's one sure fire way to bring beauty into your soul: acquiring wisdom. God is the source of all heavenly wisdom, and wisdom is found in His word. If you're looking for rare and beautiful treasures to festoon the halls of your heart, look no further than asking God for and diligently seeking wisdom. Want a new way to approach your strong willed child? Trying to find a purpose statement for 2015, and ways to live it out? Have finances you're trying to re-align? There's a verse for that. In fact, more than likely, many verses. There is wisdom waiting for you in scripture that will bring beauty to your life: but not just any kind of beauty, a rare beauty. A beauty that can't be found on Pinterest, or in the mall. A beauty that can't be sculpted and toned in the gym, or carved by a scalpel. I speak of the kind of beauty that lasts forever, and brings life, healing, and hope to a world drab with hopelessness. If you're experiencing springtime of the soul, even in the smallest degree, bring in beautiful wisdom to teach you which way to go, and which way to grow.

 "Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced." James 3: 17 THAT is a beautiful thing.

Put away. Beautify. Soak in every bit of this growing season you're in. Be renewed. Come alive. Spring forward; this is what you were made for.

Breathing In Hope

 Breathless. When I think of that word, I think of the time my sister, at 10 years old, slipped on a puddle in the bathroom and fell onto the side of the tub. The wind was knocked out of her so forcefully that she passed out. Or I remember the time my son broke his fall on his arm and his diaphragm. His first complaint was not the arm that was then broken, but that he got the wind knocked out of him. I think of this past Christmas, when the burning frankincense I had smelled gave me a reaction that almost sent me to the hospital- breathless.

Most of the time, we don't think about breathing. It comes naturally; the casual rise and fall of our chests goes completely unnoticed. There is too much life happening all around us to think about it. But every once in a while, life knocks the wind out of us- and breathing, or lack of it, is the only thing we think about. The only thing that's important. The only thing that matters. Being made breathless can happen physically, but it's not limited to that. It can happen in a moment. Like the moment you get shocking news, the moment you discover drugs in your child's room, or the moment you realize your marriage is in trouble. It can happen in the moment your doctor tells you the diagnosis, the moment in the office when they let you go, or the moment your car is slammed by another. Have you ever experienced that sudden jolt that jerks everything important into alignment? Suddenly, all the important things in life come floating to the surface, while all the unimportant things settle out of sight. 

Usually when life knocks the wind out of me, a fear blizzard forms, and the "what-ifs" come flying at my face like a gust full of snowflakes. And I see my husband, my kids, and my relationship with God with stunning clarity. The thoughts brought to mind aren't the material possessions I want, the comparisons I make, or the arguments I had that day with the kids. The thoughts brought to my mind are, "Did I love enough in life?" "God, are You still in control?" "Will my worst case scenario come true?" "Why did I spend so much time on the things that didn't matter?" The gifts that breathlessness brings are crystal clarity, properly held priorities, and this all important question: What am I breathing in?

I saw a movie last night where there was a crisis on a plane, and the passengers were energetic with panic. There were screaming women, frantic men, and pandemonium in the cabin. The captain, desperate to calm down his passengers, pressed the button to release the oxygen masks from the ceiling. The passengers were instructed to sit down and place the masks on their faces. They obeyed, and all got to task on breathing in and out. There was oxygen already in that cabin, because the frightened passengers were obviously very much alive. But the captain knew that they needed concentrated doses of oxygen to nourish their taxed lungs and hearts. He knew that getting them to sit and breathe would give them something to do other than panic. He knew that as they breathed in and out intentionally, that in time, their pulse would slow down and their lungs would relax.

If life has dealt you a blow in the stomach, and you're gasping for air, you're not alone. I've been there, as frightened as those passengers on the plane. Screaming, crying, and desperate for relief.  What are we going to breathe in? Will we heave and gasp fear, panic, and despair? Will we choke and sputter chaos, discouragement, and hopelessness? Or will we listen to the voice of our Captain to sit down, place the mask of faith on our faces, and breathe in concentrated doses of hope? The air in your lungs won't change your circumstance. The hope you breathe in will still allow for tears to make their way down your face. What you breathe in through the mask of faith is the hope that will keep you anchored when the wind and the waves threaten to tear your life apart. 

"Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls." Hebrews 6: 18b-19a

I'm not promised that difficulties will go away. I'm not promised things will be easy. I'm not promised that life will go back to normal. I'm promised something even greater than that. 

I'm promised that the hope I breathe in through faith in Christ will be my anchor when the wind knocks the air out of my sails. 

Hope in what? Hope that God is faithful. Hope that He can redeem anything. Hope that He is in control when I feel out of control. Hope that when the pressure in my cabin changes, that the God of grace will drop my faith mask for me to use just in the nick of time. And He will for you too- as long as you draw breath, and beyond. You are anchored. You are loved. God has made a way for you to breathe again.

Tea with a Slice of Life

Life is BIG.

Big milestones, big lessons, big accomplishments, and big tragedies are all a part of life's big picture. Someone might be blessed enough to live for 8 or 9 decades. We only have one shot at it. And yet,

Life is SMALL.

Small pleasures, small gestures, small victories, and small moments. It's the little things that make up life: the gentle breezes. The card in the mail. The hugs and kisses.

It's easy to marvel at the whole, and yet miss the point. Some days, I've whirred and buzzed through my day like a honeybee on steroids, only to pillow my head and have the room spin. There are the overwhelming days, the overbooked days, and the over-the-top-irritating days. All that spinning masks the little stuff that happened that day. My husband's text saying he was glad I'm his girl. My daughter's sweet kisses. My sons making music on their trumpet and clarinet. Life can be so big that the small gets lost like a lonely sock in the laundry.

And yet I'm reminded that God speaks in still small whispers. Although He spoke the universe into existence, He etched the most intricate detail on a flower petal. Although He established the boundaries of sky and sea, He formed every emerald blade of grass.

Life is big. But I'm attempting to hear God's whispers in the small things. To learn His truths in the teensiest of fleeting moments. To extract mind-blowing principles from the most unlikely of places.

The tea? Happens to be my favorite drink. I do drink coffee at times, but there's something reliably steady about a steaming hot cup of tea. It says, "Relax, and let me flow down and nourish you from the inside out." OK, it doesn't really say that, but I imagine that it would if it could.

The slice of life? It's my attempt at dissecting the vastness of life, and taking it in- one small bite at a time. Life happens, and unless I take the time to sink my fork into a slice of its many layers, and nom nom away, I miss the point. The Greatest Chef, the Bread of Life, has given us a cylindrical confection called life. It's not possible to take it all in at once, so we work at it, once slice at a time. He puts the sweet ingredients: the wins, the happy, and mixes them with the unlikely ones: the losses, the hurts, and folds them all together to make life: a life that pleases Him. A life that showcases His culinary prowess. A life that He puts on a stand for the world to see just how sweet He is.

Tea With A Slice Of Life is a place you can pull over, take a breather, and be reminded that God often speaks the mountainous mysteries of life in mole hills. Let me pour you some "talking" tea, hand you a napkin, and together we'll see what slices we're served up.