Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/88

Contributor - Janet Koolhaas

Title - Springtime In My Heart

Topic - Christianity

Believe it or not, winter is just about over! Depending on where you live, it may be over already. But regardless of where you live, one thing is certain spring will come!

Emerging from the cold grip (or wet drip) of winter to embrace the warmth and sunshine of spring is for me the most inspiring and thrilling time of year. You know what I'm talking about. The exhilaration of hearing birds chirping, of seeing the front lawn for the first time in months, of seeing the stubborn little crocus fight its way up through the cold soil.

Everything seems to be reborn. We get a new zest for living. We start to think about planting our garden or our crops.

The best part is, we don't have to wonder if spring will come this year. It always comes! God ordained it that way, and we can depend on Him to make sure that each season comes at its appropriate time. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness!

There are certain words that we particularly associate with thoughts of "spring". I would like to share a few thoughts about four of them.

Planting

The Bible tells us in John 12:24 that "unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (NIV).

There is a tremendous amount of faith involved in the planting process. The farmer spends a lot of money to buy many bags of seed. The seed could be consumed by animals or humans, but the farmer chooses to spread it all over his field and cover it with soil. This is an act of faith. By sacrificing a small amount of seed and committing it to the earth, the farmer will reap many times more at harvest time.

What are the implications of this for Christians?

The first and most important implication is that Jesus was referring to His own death and resurrection with the seed analogy. If Christ had not submitted to the power of death, God's plan of salvation, which is based on the fact of Christ's glorious resurrection, would have been thwarted.

The second implication for the believer follows in verse 25. "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (NIV)

The farmer reaps a bountiful harvest from the fruit of the seed that he commits to the soil. Believers have Jesus' promise that we will also reap a rich harvest of eternal blessing if we commit this earthly life to Him. We have the choice to be short-sighted and try to get the most out of this present life, or to forego temporary pleasures so that we can reap eternal fruit.

Growth

You do not have to have a green thumb to know that the growth of any plant depends entirely upon a healthy root system. One of the ironies of plant care is that too much water actually inhibits the development of strong roots. In our home, the plants regularly go through severe dry spells (when we forget to water them). Once they do receive water, though, they look healthier than ever!

What does this mean for the Christian? It tells me that a steady supply of comfort and ease would not be in my best interest. The dry spells that we all experience from time to time can serve to strengthen our "root system". We are challenged to send our roots down deeper than ever before into the soil of God's love and faithfulness.

"May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love . . " (Eph 3:17b)(Living Bible)

Let's not forget that we are totally dependent on Christ for our spiritual growth and nourishment. In John 15 we read:

"I am the vine: you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Years ago we had a poster in our home that showed a beautiful green vine shimmering with dew in the sunlight. The caption read: "Growth is the only sign of life". If we are alive, we must grow! There seems to be no middle ground on this point; either we are in the process of living or the process of dying.

Sunlight

Spring brings longer days and more direct sunlight. Who hasn't experienced the thrill of taking a walk outside in early spring and feeling the glorious warmth of the sun breaking the chill of the cool air. Sunlight, as ordained by the Creator, is what sustains life on this planet. Too much or too little sunlight can be equally harmful.

Recently the National Institute of Mental Health in the US formally recognized the SAD syndrome for inclusion their official diagnostic manual. SAD stands for "seasonal affective disorder", which is characterized by severe seasonal mood swings.

SAD sufferers experience depression and other side effects during the winter months. Their behaviour and mental health return to normal as spring approaches.

So far, the only certain relief of SAD symptoms is "light therapy" involving the use of a "sunbox". This device contains several fluorescent tubes to simulate normal sunlight.

I Peter 2:9 tells us that God has called us "out of darkness into his wonderful light". The effect of God's light on us is that "once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (verse 10).

God's light is essential for our spiritual well-being. It is also essential for the Spiritual well-being of the world around us. That is why we are called to be a light in the world.

"I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Acts 13:47, NIV)

Rebirth

All creation seems to be reborn when spring comes. The black and white scenario gives way to a rainbow of colour in the flowers and the green of the trees and grass. The sky is blue instead of the persistent grey of winter. Everything that seemed so dead during the winter, bursts with new life.

Christ wants to bring springtime to your heart. He wants to give you a fresh start. He desperately longs to see the old things in your life pass away and to make all things new for you. The term "born again" has been used and abused recently to the point that we almost hesitate to use it in our vocabulary. But we can not escape the words of Christ to Nicodemus in John 3:7, when He said:

"You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again'.

With the same gift of faith that enables us to turn to Christ for salvation, we can daily look forward to a new beginning. The mistakes of yesterday can be forgiven and Jesus waits with open arms to hug us and tells us that He loves us.

To me, the most amazing thing about God is His unlimited capacity to forgive us when we make mistakes. The older I get, the more grateful I am that God still forgives me when I ask for forgiveness. He makes me clean and gives me a new start from that moment on.

As wonderful as springtime is, each of us can experience "springtime in our heart", regardless of the season.

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