Spring (and change?) in the air

Holly: It goes without saying that spring is my favorite season.  Ahh, ok...scratch that.  I love fall.  But spring is a very, very close second.

Isn't that just beautiful????

One of the reasons I love spring is its transitions.  Think about it: We're in all this cold, dreary, snowy, wet crap, and then we're into warm breezes, blue skies, birds singing, flowers blooming, almost as if life is reawakening once again.  To me, this burst of new life and color is also symbolic of something else: change.

Change can be scary and unpleasant, and, to be frank, bring out the absolute worst in people.  I remember the summer before our senior year of high school.  I and Kelly and several other upper-class students met one afternoon, just prior to the start of our marching band season, and had a bomb dropped on us: our director had resigned and was leaving.  I was totally devastated; I had grown up with him, my entire marching band career had been with him, and now someone else was going to be taking over.  Of course, there was an array of mixed emotions, but one that surprised me was anger; students were angry that he was leaving.  I was shocked; of course, I was devastated, but he was doing what he believed was best for him and his family, and the school was unpredictable, at best; I couldn't resent him for that.  But many did.  And when the new director arrived, I'll admit, things just fell apart.  We weren't the same band we once were.  I didn't expect to be, of course, but I didn't expect what happened to happen either.  Some just weren't ready to accept...the change.

Tomorrow is Easter.  Our church choir has been practicing for months now and tomorrow we will share our music with the congregation and thank God for His son and for the new life found in Him.  We will worship together.  Inside, though, we will be terribly saddened: we are losing a major foundational member of our choir family (see this post here).  Tomorrow is his last "official" Sunday.  We all thank God for him and what has become of our choir family, and we are all preparing for this change.  I was telling Kelly after our dress rehearsal this morning that I sincerely hope we don't fall apart, much like our senior year of band.  But I know we won't.  We owe it to this ministry to give whoever God gives us to lead us EVERYTHING we are, even though it will never, ever be the same again.

Yes, change is in the air.  But I challenge you to see whatever changes you have coming in your life as spring, rather than something to be scared of.  Spring is new life, new color.  Easter is death overcome and a promise of new life!  Can you see why I love spring so much? :)

Kelly: I think of the verses in Ecclesiastes 3 in where it starts "to everything there is a season." And it's true. Sometimes we have to change either support a family, ourselves or to follow what one believes is God's calling. Holly and I have had to do all of the above, and at times it hasn't been easy. But I've found that when I trust God, really trust God, those changing seasons are a little easier to weather. I remember being that frustrated high school senior and hearing my peers vent their anger in the situation. They were mad he was leaving, but I couldn't be. My feelings weren't going to change the circumstances, and neither were theirs. 

Now that Easter is over and the singing and praising is done....well...no. The praising and singing is never done if you're a follower of Christ. It's a very noble and sincere cause when someone does something for His cause. I've known people who've given up everything to do what they feel He has called them to do, yet some are living for Him right from the comforts of their home. And that's been the cases in the two experiences we have mentioned in today's post. In my life I get reminders often that I am where God wants me to be. He changed me in so many ways to get me to where I am right now, and I praise Him for those changes. Yes some of them were bad, but I think that that has to happen sometimes, that way you learn to stretch those faith muscles. Yesterday was Easter, and what a blessed time it was. Quite an emotional day, but in a good way. During one of the songs at church, I was deeply moved quite suddenly. Sometimes, like Holly said yesterday, God just grabs me at random times....hard. I consider it a privilege that He does that to me, to all of His followers. Reminds me what He's brought me through and how good He is to me. 

Oh the blood of Jesus washes me

Oh the blood of Jesus shed for me

What a sacrifice!

That saved my life. 

Yes, the blood. It is my victory.