While many people focus on a fresh start, setting goals, new beginnings around the new year, I find myself more motivated in Spring. Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. Not because it is my birth season; although that’s fun to celebrate, Spring for me represents all things new.
Maybe you are someone who set all the goals for the new year, and you’re well on your way to following through; celebrate; you are doing good things.
Maybe you set goals for yourself but already tossed them aside as you lacked motivation, and that is ok. It is possible the timing wasn’t right, or your goals didn’t line up with the reality of your life.
Or maybe, you found yourself uninspired in January, not ready to fully commit to new plans as you were still processing winter. January first, the new year, it is still winter. Everything is cold, nothing new is growing, and winter feels a season lacking motivation for starting new. Yet before we realize it, Spring is here. The trees begin to bud, the sun starts to shine brighter, and even the rain seems to wash away the old and welcome new. The now longer, warmer days feel energizing, motivating us to get things done and inspiring us to try something new.
The weather is warming, and as I begin to clean out the garden, remove the dead brush, pull weeds, and add fresh dirt and mulch, I find myself reflecting on my own life, asking what needs to be cleared and freshened up. What habits and routines might need a reset, a refreshing? As I’m planting seeds, new flowers, and plants, I consider what is missing, what might I need to add to continue to grow as a person? More rest, more play, maybe a little of both.
With Spring comes Easter, and I find myself pulling out a children’s Easter book by Phil Vischer, What is Easter? Several years ago, I stumbled upon some of Phi Vischer’s books and resources from What’s In the Bible? If you have young children and aren’t familiar, I highly recommend the DVD Why do we call it Christmas? Unfortunately, the book What is Easter? is out of print, so if you find it used, grab a copy. One of the things I love about this Easter book is how it ties Spring and Easter together, helping to make sense of some of the traditions we commonly celebrate, like eggs and bunnies. While the questions and answers are for children, they remain very relevant even as adults.
Seriously, have you ever stopped to ask the question, what do eggs and bunnies have to do with Easter? In simplest terms, the answer is New Life. Easter is a celebration of New Life in Jesus, and well, eggs and bunnies remind us of new life. If Spring and Easter represent New Life, then why not consider new rhythms in Spring? Why not consider Spring as another opportunity for ALL things New?
As you find yourself inspired to do some spring cleaning around the house and in the garden or yard, maybe see it as an opportunity. An opportunity to do a little spring cleaning in your personal rhythms and routines. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as simple as asking yourself:
What habits and routines might need a reset, a refresh?
What might I need to add to help me grow? More connection, more play, more rest?
What might need to be declutter, from our home, our hearts or our heads to make space for new growth?
