The cold turbulent winds of winter have ceased. For months it settled on the earth, the greenness of life faded, trees in full bloom now barren; and we lock ourselves indoors or in heavy coats craving protection from the elements. Of such too is the winter of life – cold, lonesome, desperate, tragic. A time of shaken confidence, unanswered prayers and blurred vision. Spring is now here. A welcome respite from the bleak landscape that winter brought. The snow is melting, wild daisies are blooming and the birds are returning from their retreat in warmer climes. Spring is a season of life and bounteous beauty. It is the season of opportunity and activity. It is not time to linger and ponder the success or failure of past seasons but rather a time to launch with seeds of commitment, knowledge and persistence.
A time to choose
When the dark clouds of winter have lifted and the warmth of spring has arrived, we are left with one of the most powerful gifts given to us by the creator – the power to choose. We can choose to wallow in self pity because of the severity of the winter or choose to be encouraged by the new opportunities available to us. We can chose to be put down by the harsh opinions of others or instead chose to acknowledge our greatness and our innate ability to surmount any challenge that life may throw at us. As much as we despise them, we can choose the familiarity of our current circumstances or instead choose to be courageous and risk the chance of failure in pursuit of a better tomorrow. The winters in your life will inevitably give way to spring. When it does, I encourage you to choose wisely. Chose industry over indolence, hope over despair, and courage over fear.
A time for action
Too many spend springtime carelessly, contemplating the rigors of the past winter of life. Some see it as a time of rest; a time to enjoy the sun shining through the dark clouds which are lifting from their lives. Others see it as leisure time – Bar-B-Q’s, picnics and the like.
The bright warm sun, the gentle breezes and the soggy fertile fields that spring brings require concerted, earnest, consistent effort. It is only through honest hard work that one is able to reap the rewards from the opportunities that life presents us. For its part, life doesn’t care one way or another if we make use of the opportunities. We are free to take action. We are free to clear the weeds and rocks and till the soil and plant the seeds to enjoy a great harvest in the fall. Failure to take no action guarantees that you will be hungry in the fall. Half-hearted efforts lead to a mediocre life while taking action translates into a full storehouse. It is time to enroll in a class, switch careers, start a business, and adopt healthier habits in order to live the life we dream of.
A time for faith
While spring only guarantees that opportunities to recover from the brutal winters exists for us and that through hard work we can convert those opportunities into results, life provides no assurances that our concerted efforts will reap bountiful results. Life’s snowstorms could easily negate the massive effort we made to turn the opportunities into results. Conversely, failure to make an effort will most definitely guarantee no results come harvest time. As Jim Rhon says, “much of the effort and opportunity of springtime rests in the depth and degree of our faith.” Faith is the fertilizer that will help your seed to resist the weeds of discouragement, setbacks and poisonous opinions. Though great effort is required, we must remember the caution from the Good Book; “work without faith is dead.”
Faith is also the promise of the universe that states that “as a man sow, so shall he reap.” It is through this promise that in faith we are able to endure the pain of effort to reap the rewards of the opportunities spring offer.
The truth is that each day our life is like a new season of spring given to us. Constantly reliving yesterday’s failures or focusing only on the today’s challenges robs us of tomorrow’s opportunities. My challenge to you is to seize each new day of spring armed with seeds of positive thoughts, and an optimistic outlook coupled with determined effort to create the life of your dreams.
Keep on Pushing!