Almost Spring!

Even though its a rainy yucky day out for the second day in a row, I'm so glad that spring is just around the corner! The air has that smell of wet dirt and budding trees, even the occassional scent of freshly mowed grass with that oniony smell it has. You've heard of comfort foods....these are comfort SMELLS!The birds are singing their songs again- It makes me so happy!! ! I absolutely love spring, when life is springing forth again. It should remind of us ressurection. Everything was so beautiful and alive last summer, then the cold came and killed everything, now it's slowly coming back to life again, full of bright greens and pale pinks. It's such a pleasure to watch the beauty around us awaken after such a long season of sleeping. My soul feels like this sometimes. I guess I get in a "rut" or maybe I've just come through a valley or a trial, and as soon as the Lord reaches down and delivers me from whatever is holding me back, I feel that renewed life just bursting out of my soul. I felt this recently. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are getting "comfortable" in our spiritual lives and before we know it, we're sleeping! Don't get me wrong, we're human and this will happen. As long as we don't stay that way. Just like the spring, once everything starts to wake up again, we see the beauty that we almost forgot about, the smells that we missed, and the beautiful weather that allows us to breathe deep and enjoy the sunshine with the breezes blowing through our hair. How awful would it be if one day, winter came and stayed forever, taking with it life and beauty that the spring brings. So it would be in our spiritual lives if we never got out of our "ruts". I have been on fire for the Lord, I know what it feels like. So when I sink into that "poor,pitiful me" state, I can feel the flame suffocating. What an awful feeling. But when I overcome my old self, I can feel that flame burst back to life and the joy that it brings is very much like sitting on my porch on a beautiful warm spring day, taking in all of God's glory around me. My heart feels so alive when I'm in tune with my Saviour. I never want to stop growing in Him.
I was talking with a very sweet lady awhile about some spiritual things. She was pondering in her heart why she feels certain things that she feels, or does certain things she does. She very well could be in one of those "ruts" that I get myself into sometimes. The whole time she was talking to me, all I could think was, "I have been there!" It's a hard thing sometimes to explain things that I have in my heart, and I know I probably don't do a very good job. But I do know this: A child of God, when at peace with Him, has a comfort and a peace that passes all understanding. We won't always know why, or when, but we know that we can count on our Heavenly Father to walk with us through whatever difficulty we may be facing. Even if its sin, we have a Saviour that we can call out to for help, and He is there with His outstreched hand....His compassionate heart full of love for us. When you feel like you arent worthy of His forgiveness, or may not be able to be forgiven, remember this. First of all, we aren't worthy of His forgiveness. Secondly,His forgiveness is a done deal. He forgave us in spite of our unworthiness, a long long time ago, on a hill called Calvary. Hebrews 8:12 says "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." He was definitely merciful to me, and continues to be day after day.
Once you have secured the fact in your heart that you are a born again child of God, you have to then forgive yourself. God did, and if He can, we can. Leave your old life behind....walk talk and act like a christian should. Please the One that left it all to die on a cross for you. For if you are pleasing God, then you will have no reason to question or doubt. So many of us even after we are saved, continue to beat ourselves up for the way we were before, or sometimes, even the way we have been after we were saved. We can only do one thing: treat our doubting, questioning sinful ways as the winter. It's time for spring. Time to watch new life burst forth. Time to begin. Live for God.... to the best of your ability. I am, and I am happier than I have ever been. And I can go to bed at night with peace in my heart. I do have a long way to go, but what a thought: I am continuing to grow. A tiny blossom on God's family tree if you will. But I AM on His tree....He is my vine....I may not have made it into a fullgrown branch yet, but I'm growing, and with His help, will one day become one :)