Yesterday was the last full day of winter because at 5:24PM today the vernal equinox occurs. It will be a bit warmer today than yesterday, possibly not as windy, but it is still cold this morning. I saw robins last week, but some of the old winter birds were still here. The old seems to be mixed with the new, always the case at times of transition.
Our lives are much the same way, of course, mixing old and new. Sometimes the old is familiar and we don’t want to let go; at other times, the old only reminds us of what we think could have been, if only one little thing had not occurred.
Of course, because that one event did occur, the past, the past ends up serving as a painful memory. Much like Job, we want to justify ourselves as we search for reasons why certain events occurred and are angry or frustrated when we find none. Digging into the winter of our lives can be helpful at times but only as long as it does not prevent us from seeing the spring to come.
Prayer for the Day
The sun rising across the horizon, we wonder what the day will bring,
As we search for your Presence in our lives, O God;
The tree branches showing signs of new life in the early morning,
As we look forward to the spring that is promised to us.
Take away the winter of our lives allowing us to live in the spring
So we are able to live as your disciples in this day and time.
In the name of the One who calls us to live in discipleship,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
We must let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
- Joseph Campbell, writer on comparative mythology (1904-1987)
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
- Corrie Ten Boom, Dutch resistance worker (1892-1983)
We urgently wait for the Lord; our help and our shield is God
For in the Lord our heart rejoices and in God’s holy name do we trust.
May your kindness be upon us, O Lord, as we have yearned for you.
Psalm 33: 20-22 (Robert Alter tr.)