Spring Ushers In Potential Change

Spring has arrived and Patti was out of school on Spring Break. She had some dreams she wanted to put into place concerning our landscaping. Last Saturday evening we made a trip to Lowe's and bought out their Outside Gardening department. I'm just kidding of course, but we did purchase 25 bags of mulch, 40 stones to enclose a flower garden, many plants, and various other items. Needless to say, both SUV's were packed to the hilt.

Patti started her project on Monday by putting out all the mulch, planting flowers, laying the stones for the flower garden and who knows what else, but she literally changed the appearance of the front and back yards.

On Tuesday she reorganized our walk-in pantry. Now that was a scary place before she got in there. I had already had two bouts with that room. First, I knocked over a large can of cayenne pepper. Imagine that all over the floor. Then, several weeks later, I knocked over a large bottle of syrup! There was no comparison between the pepper and the syrup. All I can tell you is that it was a nightmare to clean up. So now, Patti has completely reorganized the pantry and it is not a scary place anymore, but I still think about my experiences whenever I go in there. Actually, I try to stay out of it as much as possible.

The rest of the week Patti continued her project in the yard, even buying more mulch and plants. Then on Friday morning I cut the grass, edged, and weeded. She added more plants and now it is looking good!

Now, why did I tell you all that? I thought you needed a good laugh about the syrup and pepper, but there was a reason for the Spring story. Change is taking place in our weather. The days are getting longer, the average temperatures are rising, the grass is greening and plants are beginning to bloom. It is obviously a time of change and we can take advantage of that in many ways.

In addition to doing a Spring clean-up, or rejuvenating your plants, or fertilizing your yard, or any number of other Spring projects, why not give your life a change spiritually? Why not spruce up that spiritual life that seems to have gone into hibernation? It needs some attention doesn't it? Now is a good time, right along with taking care of the outside of your home.

How about re instituting that Quiet Time with the Lord that was so important to you just a few months ago, or that you remember from just a few years ago? Could you get up 15 minutes earlier than usual and spend that time with the Lord? Pick out a book in the Bible and begin systematically working through it as a devotional each morning. Spent some time talking to God after you read His Word. Then, as much as you like to talk, just shut up, get quiet, meditate on the communication you just had and let Him speak to you. Warning: That 15 minutes will fly by and perhaps turn into 20 minutes!

You might say, "I really don't have time to add another 15 minutes to my already early wake-up time." I can understand that, but let me tell you a story. My son's employer just moved from League City to The Woodlands. Jared joined a 24 Hour Fitness just across the street from his new office location. He gets up at 4:45 and three days a week works out before going to the office. Do you realize how many people all over the Greater Houston area do something just like that?

If we can get up earlier to have a workout for our bodies, why can't we get up earlier to have a meeting with the Lord? Maybe we don't put both of those events on par with each other. How sad for us. Our bodies are more important than our souls. Our physical well-being is more important than our spiritual well-being. See what I mean? Anything worth doing will require some changes in our lifestyle. It's Spring...let's use that concept to add some things to our lives that will change us on the inside and not just what people see.