Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Spring is blooming, but the tree doesn't know it

One of my most favorite things to do is wake up in the morning, open the blinds and gaze at the tree in my backyard. The tree has gotten so big that it pretty much fills up the view that I have, but I often strain to see around it at the other things that are going on… the cat pouncing on something I can’t see, the neighbor’s flowering bush, the squirrel balancing on the fence… it’s all an amazement to me.

I’m a God’s nature freak. “A what?” You might ask. I look at nature and I see God. I see the wonder of everything He has created and I think it is amazingly beautiful. I often give thanks to Him for his wondrous creations.

It’s something we should stop and do each day. Well, if you aren’t into the beauty of nature, as I am, then simply taking a quiet moment to be with God can do wonders for your mood and your outlook. And in the quiet moment, having an attitude of gratitude can also do wonders for you.

Are you familiar with the popular book and DVD called The Secret? Well, if you’ve heard about it then you know that one of things it supports is having an appreciative attitude, which in turn draws positive things to you. It’s really nothing new, but it’s something that most people haven’t tapped into. In fact, a lot of the things that The Secret is based on can be found in scriptures – you just have to do your research. (Maybe we’ll investigate that a little further in future posts.)

An-t-way, I get up this morning, open the blinds and gaze at the tree. Nothing unusual or different seemed to be going on. (Just a little tidbit about this tree: My family and I watch it every year and it seems to suddenly lose its leaves. Seemingly one day they’re there and the next day they’re gone. So this year we’ve been watching the tree very closely. And I have watched it even closer than before.) The tree still held half its dead leaves all around its bottom with the top branches bare. My 15-year-old daughter and I have determined that it knows we’re watching and has decided not to drop all its leaves. A few days ago we realized that spring is fast approaching and we wondered whether the old leaves would be pushed out by the new ones.

So, no change this morning. I didn’t think much about it until I was driving my two youngest children to daycare. There were trees up and down the streets and roads that had bloomed white flowers. How marvelous, I thought! Spring had bloomed!

The blooming trees had thrown me back into my realization of God’s beautiful creation. How amazing, don’t you think, that the seasons change and in doing so it’s all so exquisite.

It doesn’t matter what we’re going through in life… the seasons will still change. It doesn’t matter what problems we’re having, what feelings we have … nothing stops the seasons from changing. Now think of it in terms of celibacy (you should have known I would bring that up). Celibacy is just a season. Even for those who decide on a lifetime of celibacy, it will eventually come to the end of its season. Look at celibacy in your life as a season of time that you have to endure. Then think about the beauty that will come of it. You’ll share what you’ve saved with one person who God has ordained for you to share it with. What a wonderful way to end a season!

As for our tree, some of the other trees and bushes should tell it that spring is here!

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. -- George Santayana

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