Broken Things and Spring

We are calling 2018 the year of broken things. It started with the dryer, then the furnace, the T.V., the car, the stove. And then the toughie... the trampoline we penny pinched for the kids for Christmas. One gust of wind sent in up into the air and crashing through our garden fence, and in a matter of moments two things were left mangled and broken.

As we untangled the trampoline from our fence and dragged the remains across our lawn, the kids kept asking us, "Can it be saved?" "Mommy? Daddy? Is it broken? Can you fix it? Can you save it?"

 It made me think about how many times I’ve asked that in my own life, calling out to God, “Can you fix it? Is it broken? Can this mangled mess be saved?” And as spring comes, the season of renewal and fresh beginnings, I feel like it answers that question deep in our hearts. During the winter, everything in the garden looks so dead, so gray and lifeless. It's hard to imagine in the winter the life that flourishes from that patch of dirt in the summer. But as spring awakens, I see that dull patch of dirt come to life. Green leaves through dark soil, white and pink buds from brown stems, and sunshine warming the cold ground after long stretches of overcast days.

 If life feels lifeless, or hopeless, or like a mangled mess and you are wondering if it can be saved, God answers every spring with a resounding yes! The patch that looks gray and lifeless can flourish once again. In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Aslan stands before the creatures of Narnia that the White Witch turned into statues. They are cold, gray, lifeless, and Aslan opens his mouth, breathing life, and warmth, and color back into them again. God can stand before our lives too, and the God who breathed into the dust, creating man, can breathe into our lives and awaken and renew them once again. Happy spring!