IT IS SPRING

IT IS SPRING.

 

The month of April is a month of great changes. Remember that I live in Sweden. This year it has changed from heavy snowing till 20 degrees last Saturday. One could enjoy sitting outside in the sun then. A couple of days later we had a cold wind and only a few degrees. In spite of all these changes we can still see some flowers coming up from the ground and I believe that some leaves will be visible on the trees in only a few days, depending on where in Sweden you live.

I believe that the month of April can be compared to the spiritual life of some people. One can experience heaven here on earth sometimes. One feels very happy, but another time everything looks dark and one cannot see any light in the tunnel. When there are so many changes in a person’s life, I believe that that person lives by emotions and not by the Word of God. The Word is stable and is the same yesterday, today and for ever more.

        It is the Word and The Spirit that create everlasting fruits in our lives.

If the soul is full of wounds or garbage from the past, it might have difficulties receiving the Word and be open for what The Spirit wants to produce in one’s life. We read in Philippians 2:12 that we should work on the salvation of our soul. Our spirit is pure and righteous according to Ephesians 2:8. We might have spirits in our soul and body.

What is happening during winter? It seems like everything is dead. The trees have lost their leaves. No plants are coming up from the earth and the earth seems frozen and often covered by snow, but the life inside the earth is not dead. It is resting and is being prepared to come forth when there will become warmer in the air. Our spiritual life might also seem to be dead if there is no love and warmth. One might get into a church where there is very little love and one doesn’t want to come back. I was in Brazil some years back and I experienced lots of love. It was physical as well as spiritual. It was easy to receive the Word and get part of the worship. People do not want to attend cold, religious churches. No, we are longing for LIFE.

What is happening during spring? The first plants that are coming up are very fragile and we must be very careful. We could easily step on them or destroy them in some other ways. I think that the first leaves appearing on the trees are especially beautiful. They have a pure and beautiful green. They look innocent. Life is coming back everywhere in nature. The sun has a stronger power and one might all of a sudden see spots and dirt that have been hidden during the winter. The strong light of the sun is now revealing the spots. It is fascinating that I haven’t seen them before and it seems a little embarrassing to see them now. One is forced to take warm water and lots of soap to start washing the visible dirt. If one lives in a spiritual gray or dark world, it might be difficult to see one’s sin and one might continue to sin, but when the Light is coming, the sin is exposed and one must make a decision: Do I want to repent or will I continue to sin?

When spring is coming, one is not only dependent on light, but also on water. Plants are dying without water. Some can live longer than others, but some need water frequently. I think that we again might compare with our spiritual life. If you are grounded in the Word and have an intimate and loving relationship with God, you might last some time without being watered, but if you are a new-borne Christian, you might need fresh water often. You need the Word, the payers and the relationship with other Christians as well as the relationship with God. I have one coming every second week. I give her parts of the Bible to read and she writes down questions and the things that have spoken to her. She prays every day. We also pray together. We do not lay new-borne babies on the street and we Christians must not leave new-borne Christian without offering them a relationship and care.

It is not only the bad things that are being visible during the sunlight of spring. One begins to watch how the nature is getting alive. One is also hearing in another way. One can enjoy the sound of birds and brooks bubbling with water. Outside my house there is a playground for children. It is almost empty there during the winter months, but now I can hear children laughing and neighbors are coming out of their apartments. We start to talk to each other again. The physical heat breaks the isolation. I also believe that the spiritual love breaks isolation. Since Jesus lives on the inside of us, we have love also during winter, but it might be more visible during spring and summer.

The snow has just disappeared where I live. I pray that the cold on my inside should melt so that Jesus should get visible for the people I meet.

 

ALLOW THE FRESHNESS OF SPRING TO TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE!

Mother Else