Spring and New Beginnings and Looking Back

Spring is such a beautiful time.

After the long, dark days of winter, it is a breath of fresh air. A reminder that the world is always changing, and that there is beauty in every chapter.

Looking at last year at this time, I was a different person. Isn't it funny how mere time can change us? I wouldn't say that I'm any smarter than I was, but perhaps I am a bit wiser. Wisdom that comes from making mistakes and having everything fall apart in front of you. These changes aren't the the kind that happen without noticing, like growing taller or learning to like the taste of coffee. These are changes that occur with groans, that take work. The ones that you feel first breaking you down and then making you stronger in the long run.

Spring brings this looking-back every year. It is a time to both celebrate new beginnings and to appreciate life in all its walks. No one likes hard times. It would be much more comfortable to avoid them all together, but as one great quote goes, “Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny.” Like pressure creates a diamond, hardships prepare us for a destiny of uncertain circumstances but of definite resolution.

The Lord did not promise that this life would be easy. However, He did promise that we will overcome the world and all its pain and hardships. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7). No matter where in life, this always encourages me. This spirit within me, no matter how defeated it may seem or wounded it may feel, it is not of timidity!! It is a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline! Though I walk in the midst of trouble, the Lord preserves my life. He stretches out His hand against the anger of my foes and against all the forces that want to harm me. With His right hand, that is Jesus, He saves me. What in this life can even touch me? (Psalms 35:4;138:7;Matthew 26:64;Psalm 118:6) 

Yes, spring is fast approaching. Soon it will come, and then it will go, and summer will take its place to be replaced by fall, and then winter, and then spring yet again. But the Lord's love never fails nor does His promise to us. He Himself said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5). With a spirit such as this, every day is an opportunity to experience, to live, to love, and to rejoice because you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Black and White

When I was little, I thought of the world as black and white. There were shaded sides, and there were spotless sides. Everything either good or bad.

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Now, I can't make the same claim any more. There are aspects of life that cannot be classified as always good or always evil, and that is because life is incredibly subjective. There is no real way to be objective. Not ever. Not in any circumstance. The United States has crafted a judicial system based on supposed "unbiased" jurors. In reality, however, those individuals, pulled from their daily lives by dreaded "jury summons", will actually reach their decisions based on their own experiences. What is right for one person is wrong for another. Nobody can step outside of his own head and make a decision.

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So what is to be the deciding factor in decision-making? Can we rely on our emotions to provide the right answer to any situation? Although we are often told by the world, by the media, are we really the ones in control of our own lives?

If a boy is killed in an accident by a distracted driver and the father's emotions drive him to take vengeance on the absentminded motorist, is that the right thing to do? Are our hearts really capable of serving justice?

The answer is no.

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No, we are not capable of making the right decision. No, we do not automatically default to what is ethical and pure. In fact, the very opposite is true. From the beginning of time, mankind has struggled with its tendency to fall into ruin when left alone. Every time we get it in our heads that we are the ones in control, that we are the ones who call the shots, who make or break a situation, that is when we fall. Power is a drug, but it is also a fantasy. The problem is we convince ourselves that we have it in overdose and that it is up to us to keep injecting it.

Truth is, the world really is in black and white. There really is a right and a wrong answer. And life, well, that’s just us trying to find out what exactly it is.

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