Unshackled Moments ~ March 21 ~ Spring Is Here!

Spring is finally officially here. As of yesterday afternoon, our little planet has crossed over from winter to spring. And the truth is that it doesn't look or feel that much differently than last week did. That said, it's a drastic change from last December 20. The seasons transition a little at a time. Previews of Spring appear between cold northers of Winter. The snow falls and then the sun shines. A flower blooms here and there, and we say Spring is on the way.

Before too long it seems like more spring and less winter. Sometimes that happens weeks before the calendar shows the start of Spring, while some years and in some places calendar Spring may be here a while before the snow stops falling and melts away. The seasons don't really care about the dates we put on our calendars, and they do change. But lasting change isn't instant. There may be a period where Mother Nature seems fickle and unable to make up her mind between cold and comfortable. One minute or day the temperature will climb into the 70's, and just when we rejoice about not having to bundle up, here come the freezing temps again. But sooner or later, it will happen. Maybe not precisely according to the calendar, but the jackets will be gone until Autumn begins giving previews of her arrival.

We rejoice when Spring begins to make her advances, and often grumble when Winter surges back, fighting for one or more last gasps. But when Winter reappears for a moment, we don't give up on Spring. We know she'll be here for good before long.

Why can't we do that with our life?  God's promises are more to be counted on than the change of the seasons. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God remains forever (Matthew 24:35). That means when He says He came to set the captives free, to free the oppressed, and to complete the work He begins, we can count on it. Sometimes our freedom comes in an instant, but more often than not, it comes more slowly, a little bit of progress towards newness with shadows of the old mixed in, much like the transition from Winter to Spring.

Don't give up on the new life and freedom of Spiritual Spring. Don't assume that a day of cold and freezing rain means that Winter has returned and the bondage is permanent. Don't believe for an instant that God has failed to keep His word or that you have somehow failed and been rejected because you can't keep walking in the new without any hints of the old. If you could only skip back to compare the transition to the harshness of Winter at her worse, you'd see the change so drastically you couldn't help but declare the change miraculous. But since it's slow, we don't feel all that differently from day to day. But believe me, the change is happening. It may not be when we expect, or on the day we mark on the calendars of our lives, but there will come a day when even the hints of the past will be gone and nothing but Spring remains.