Spring is a season of expectations that the transition from winter will result in an explosion of new life from nature. Sometimes, as has happened this year, winter is slow in releasing its grip on the area. Trees which are normally in leaf by now are just starting to show buds. Early-blooming trees are showing their blossoms, and the daffodils have finally made an appearance.
Sometimes I experience at this time of year a hesitation to go out with my camera to photograph a landscape that has not yet fully embraced spring. Even though I have had enough of winter and can’t wait for gardens to burst into bloom, I am aware that this time of expectation also has its own beauty. There is a potential in the buds of the trees, in the bits of green poking up from the ground, in the new leaves showing on the rose shrubs.
Being aware of potential growth is also an important aspect of our faith, particularly if we’re in a challenging period of our life. The seasons of the year can also play out in the seasons of our life. If we are in winter mode, it can take an act of faith to believe that new life will happen for us, but that is precisely the Easter message. Jesus went through his own darkness to bring humankind to the light of new and renewed life in his spirit.
Just as nature eventually comes through for us, so too does the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit.
“You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
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