Spring has officially sprung! One of the great things about living where we do is that we are given the opportunity to witness the changing of the seasons. Every season has a purpose, and each one is filled with its own beauty. Though we may enjoy winter’s snow, and summer’s warmth, many prefer the less extreme seasons of Spring and Autumn.
There is so much to look forward to and to enjoy about spring, isn’t there? Though we may breathe in a little more pollen and other allergens in the days and weeks coming up, we can enjoy the beautiful flora that comes to life. When Spring finally arrives it always warms my heart to hear the frogs chirping at nighttime and listen to the different birdsongs in the morning hours as the sun begins to bring the new day with it.
Spring also reminds us of God’s promise of new life. In Isaiah 43.19, the Lord says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” When we are looking at all the new life that is around us in the coming weeks, we can see this time of year as a living parable of God’s renewing work. He gives us streams where there was once wasteland, and hope returns where despair once lived.

As the earth awakens from the winter, we can also be reminded of the deeper awakening that takes place within our hearts when we come to Christ. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5.17, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here,” and in Ephesians 5.24 he tells us to “put on the new self, created in the likeness of God.” The greening fields of springtime echo the inner transformation that Christ brings to us. Our old life falls away, and the new emerges.
Sometimes in life, we can get confused and not see the good things for what they really are. Something may be uncomfortable to endure, or perhaps unwanted. However, in due time the blessings from those situations will blossom into blessings which wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. The rains that soften the soil and awaken the seeds that are buried there can point to God’s faithful renewal. In Hosea 6.3, we are told, “He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Just as the spring rains revive the land, and produces the beauty of spring, so too does God’s presence revive our weary souls.
There is much more that can be said, but there is one more biblical truth that spring time powerfully represents, and it is connected to everything that has been mentioned so far – and that is resurrection. It is no accident that Jesus was crucified just before Passover ended and resurrected on the Feast of Firstfruits. This is always in spring. His resurrection points to a time when more will be raised from the grave later, but who may be loosed from the tomb of sin now. Romans 6.4 reminds us, “Just as Christ was raised by the glory of the Father we too might live in the newness of life.” Truly, as Jesus states outside of the tomb of His dear friend Lazarus, “I am the resurrection and the life,” (John 11.25). Buds are breaking open. Trees are leafing out. Frogs and birds fill the air with their song, and the tomb of Jesus is still empty!