Spring growth is hidden within winter’s cloak as wisdom shrouds itself in the unheard words that great men have spoke. Think not to thyself that as a tree you stand when thy roots are cold and dry clutching to sand. Listen to wisdom speak proclaiming ways of health as the words linger they in their own time produce great wealth. Abandon not those that weld such great wisdom, at most keep them within thy ear’s reach, for their words are a spring of joy that we may bury our roots deep as they teach. Hold dear those that God has given, hold even closer those that speak with God’s grace. Stay true to what Christ has invested in you and truly wisdom will find it’s place. Persist dear plant of God let not winter deceive you that it is the end. For Spring is around the corner to those who have found Christ to be that wise friend.

As a midwesterner it is a relief to see Spring after such a cold winter and I have now reached a point where I have been married longer than I was engaged! It is quite a thing to shift from a 26 year old pure bachelor to a husband, new things have sprung forth in my life and there has been amazing shifts within my soul as I now have another to love,cherish and sacrifice for. I recall the many talks within the walls of a church about single life, the infamous 1 Corinthians chapter 7, the Romans 12:1-2( true for all life, so don’t mistake my meaning) and of course the Ephesians 5 portion about being a husband or a wife, all of course have great weight in those considering both a single or a married life but hear me when I say that those talks were ESSENTIAL for me now. It is comparable to a time where you are given rebuke or instruction for something that does not even in the closest way related to where you are or what you are doing, you simply shrug it off or dismiss the person altogether for any future advice.

Those many people we dismiss in life are those cold winters we want to get away from, but if winter teaches you one thing above all things it is to persevere, hold on, and realize there is something better. Spring life is completely reliant on a winter survival. So what must we do if we are given advice from those cold winter souls?

Listen and keep them close!

“Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”

Proverbs 27:10

God is not just some great being that spectates our lives, He is a living God, a loving God, and a very intimate friend to those who will believe it. The people that are part of our lives were not necessarily hand placed by God but in a very real way they are part of our life with God. It is true wisdom written here instructing us to hold onto those dear people for it is those very people that can literally speak life into your future. Their wisdom can be invaluable in times of need and as the verse highlights those friends may not be so available if we are quick to cast them off. G

Growth

It is the subject of business meetings, church conventions, ministry conferences, and parenting seminars alike. All want to grow in the fields they are currently in. I recently spent time with a group that was discussing roots, plain and simple roots, the importance of them, the functions of them and the intricacies of them in plants. There is a complex system at work below the soil that we daily walk upon, it truly is a miracle to consider, but daily we walk right by the essential lesson of growth. Growth comes to those who hear it! Within even plant life there is a vast array of communication and community, something that I believe in human society is suffering greatly ( at least from where I am sitting) and it is that communicating community that enables great growth.

True Wisdom begins in the ears and resonates in the soul to one day empower the hands of those that weld it.

So back to spring… it is a season of change, a season of growth, and a season that proves wisdom. In the spring of my marriage great wisdom past down to me through those cold winter souls, who at the time I believed to be crazy, is taking root in my life and my wife’s. True wisdom I find begins in the ears as we listen, resonates in the soul as we consider and meditate upon it, and in its times empowers us as we weld it in application. It is this process that is being lost as more and more dear friends are being forsaken, more and more wise men and women discounted as being old fashioned or obsolete as our lives update and change. It simply must cease!

What then shall we do with this Spring then? MAKE FRIENDSHIPS and KEEP DEAR FRIENDS CLOSE! My time with my wife has never been so precious, we are newly weds so no surprises😄, and new friendships are in the horizon so I am hopefull this Spring to see roots delve deep to bring about great growth. I encourage you all to have a great Spring as you are Transformed to His way in being a loyal attentive friend!