APRIL 2007 --
It seems more like spring writing April. This is especially so after the heavy rain we had last Friday. There was so much flooding in people’s homes and streams overflowing and so many problems. The weather can never please everyone and there are problems any season of the year. If not snow and flooding, then it is the allergy season and those of us who cannot tolerate excessive heat. It seams that with all the problems, we manage to get on with our lives in some way.
We had a flock of red-winged blackbirds at our feeders today and that is a sure sign that spring is almost here. Robbins have been around for a few weeks now. Last week I spotted my first bluebird of the year. Spring flowers were sprouting in January but then the cold February probably set them back and may have even killed the buds. Only time will tell on this. Another sure sign of spring is spotting the taps on the maple trees and these have been on the trees a couple of weeks now.
We have been taught in the Bible to look at the heavens and to look around us for signs of what is happening. Signs have been abundant lately, so we know the seasons are changing once again. It will soon be springtime on the farm and in our lives. A time to plant new ideas in our minds and lives so that we may continue to grow. For most of us, the time for trying new things has long passed. We are content to continue as we have for some time. The good part is that nature never looks backward, nature is continually changing. And we must also. We must make ourselves do something different, if only to keep our friends confused and add some spice to their lives.
And what about our spiritual life. This month we celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter—perhaps two of the most meaningful church days of the year. This is especially true for Easter when all the promises for eternal life are brought to fruition with the resurrection of our Lord! What a frightening experience it must have been for the women to see the empty tomb that morning. Then the disciples came and they too were confused. I often wonder why this was so. Did not Jesus tell them over and over that He would die and on the third day rise again? They did not understand what He was saying.
Perhaps we do not understand either what He is saying to us. We may hear but our understanding leaves much to be desired. A friend told me many years ago—you may think you understood what I said, but what you heard is not what I meant. This is so true not only in understanding what we read in the Scriptures, but also in dealing with our friends. I guess the message for this month is try to be a better listener and if you have any doubt about what you heard, perhaps you could ask for clarification.
