As winter in the northern part of the world takes its grip, I find myself reflecting on how the days grow shorter, the darkness longer, and the hope of spring. Metaphorically it all plays out in life.
We are getting older, our days shorter. Life seems to be richer with each day’s experience. It is as if I realize that each day brings the opportunity to experience the present in detail. The smells of cooking, the feel of an intense tropical storm, and the wonder of a plant all invite one into more. The wonder that emerges as someone shares her/his heart letting you know you have been invited into a special place. Each moment offers a gift of experience.
The awareness of past and present can come with a unique struggle. How much of the past do I need to learn from? Will I let the guilt of yesterday cloud my view of today? Is there learning from the past that I can take with me into the present? The questions swirl endlessly, looking for a place to rest. I rediscover the reality that it is in wrestling with them that one is able to release them.
In the deepest darkness of a day one remembers that spring is on the way. The image within the story is that spring is always here. One writer put it this way. “Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1.30) Spring is as near or far away from us as we want to make it.
As today’s light emerges, I find myself looking into the emerging gray. The streets are already busy below me. As I look at the scene, silent as one views is through the glass, I realize it is an invitation. I can engage or run, be part of something greater or retreat. My response, through action, will provide an answer. It is a book for reading by those around me as well as my soul.
