Today, February 6th, 2013, marks the exiting from a one year period of a season that can only be named "Winter".
This past season of Winter was a hard one. Granted, my only experiences of a harsh winter have come through books (the Little House on the Prairie series) or my four years at Miami (OH), so I know that I may not be the best judge. But, as a Texas girl, anything that isn't 40* and sunny in January is a bit harsh in my book.
The Lord has been speaking to me that Spring is next."Spring," I kept hearing, "Spring is coming." That was in January, and so I expected January to bring with it Spring. But it never came. All that came was a two day flu and an eight day sinus infection. "Soon, very soon," followed after the bout of illness. Again, it wasn't Spring; this time it was the smashing into tiny pieces two very large idols that had formed in my heart - the idol of having roots here in Dallas and the idol of ever separating from my dear friends. Praise God that He is a jealous God that will not have His beloved children chasing after temporary pleasures and fleeting happiness. He is a God who wants us to experience joy, deep and everlasting joy. But smashing idols is a messy and painful business, not Spring.
But now Spring is here. I don't know what Spring will look like, but Spring is here. And that means a time to thaw out after the hard freezes of Winter. Seeds are planted in the springtime, and what looked dead is suddenly bursting forth and flowering with new life. It is a time to tend the gardens, protect the lambs, and begin again.
My prayer is that Belgium (and the rest of the post-Christian western Europe) would experience Spring. I want the seeds that have been planted to take root and explode. I want the so-called (and accurately named) dead churches to be brought back to life. I want to see the part of the world that birthed so many wonderful theologians and missionaries impact the world again as it did in the past.
Spring has sprung.
This past season of Winter was a hard one. Granted, my only experiences of a harsh winter have come through books (the Little House on the Prairie series) or my four years at Miami (OH), so I know that I may not be the best judge. But, as a Texas girl, anything that isn't 40* and sunny in January is a bit harsh in my book.
The Lord has been speaking to me that Spring is next."Spring," I kept hearing, "Spring is coming." That was in January, and so I expected January to bring with it Spring. But it never came. All that came was a two day flu and an eight day sinus infection. "Soon, very soon," followed after the bout of illness. Again, it wasn't Spring; this time it was the smashing into tiny pieces two very large idols that had formed in my heart - the idol of having roots here in Dallas and the idol of ever separating from my dear friends. Praise God that He is a jealous God that will not have His beloved children chasing after temporary pleasures and fleeting happiness. He is a God who wants us to experience joy, deep and everlasting joy. But smashing idols is a messy and painful business, not Spring.
But now Spring is here. I don't know what Spring will look like, but Spring is here. And that means a time to thaw out after the hard freezes of Winter. Seeds are planted in the springtime, and what looked dead is suddenly bursting forth and flowering with new life. It is a time to tend the gardens, protect the lambs, and begin again.
My prayer is that Belgium (and the rest of the post-Christian western Europe) would experience Spring. I want the seeds that have been planted to take root and explode. I want the so-called (and accurately named) dead churches to be brought back to life. I want to see the part of the world that birthed so many wonderful theologians and missionaries impact the world again as it did in the past.
Spring has sprung.
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