It took me twenty years to love Spring.
For many, Spring is a symbolic time of beauty, regrowth, and new beginnings. For me, it was only a reminder that my beloved colder months were ending, ushering in another humid, all-too-hot southern Summer. Spring brought new flowers, sure – but also loads of bright yellow pollen drenching everything in sight and swarms – and I mean swarms – of love bugs.
Needless to say, Spring and I were never on the best of terms.
The thing is, I was never happy that I disliked Spring; I enjoy enjoying things. But Spring (and Summer) always tended to amount to nothing more than disappointment – and runny noses.
That changed a couple of years ago. Or rather – I decided to change it. Perhaps, I thought, I was always so focused on what I didn’t like that I was glossing over and forgetting all of the good that Spring can bring. If God looked at all He made and proclaimed it “good,” shouldn’t I be able to look as His creation and do the same? Especially during a season so symbolic of His own work in us? One of my favorite Bible verses is Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Maybe, I wondered, it was time for me to find Spring beautiful. To focus on the beauty of creation rather than its inconvenience. So, a couple of years ago, I decided to list everything about Spring that I liked. (I admit it – I thrive on lists.)
What did I discover? I discovered that I love the breezes and the “in-between” cool weather. I love rain showers, especially when I’m dry and warm inside. I love the blooms of Spring – the azaleas and wildflowers that I see Spring up around me. Even more so, I love that the changing weather inspires something inside of me – to make changes in my own life for the better. Leo Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina that, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” For me, that’s been especially true this year, and I love it. By embracing Spring, I’ve also been able to embrace the creativity that’s been lying dormant inside of me for months and focus on creating art – whether it be with watercolors, journaling, or graphic design. I turned my room inside-out with a deep cleaning that’s made my life feel fresh with new beginnings. Most importantly, I’ve been allowing myself to face change head-on inside of hiding from it.
I didn’t expect all of that to happen when I decided to “like” Spring. But by finding God’s creation beautiful in its time, I’ve also been encouraged to find what’s beautiful in my life as well. And for the first time, I can truly agree with the cliché that Spring is a time of new beginnings.