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Over the past couple of weeks, I have started to notice the longer days beginning to creep in, the cool mornings and warm afternoons. Spending time outdoors watching the signs of spring is one of my favorite parts of March. I am looking forward to enjoying this change over the next month or so. It's easy to fall in love with God's creation this time of year when the weather is mild and we begin to see lots of new life. I enjoy the changes that occur and the time to reflect on how God continues to work in us.
I try to be open and ready for things to change and embrace new challenges. I also get a little bit impatient with the time it takes for warmer weather and blooms to emerge. So how do I cope with these changes? How do I appreciate God's creation when I'm just ready for warmer weather to be here? This morning I put on my rain jacket and rain boots, and hiked the hills in my neighborhood in the rain with our dog. What do you do to cope with change? God has blessed us with the changes in seasons and the colors in creation.
As we begin to transition into spring, I want to invite you to take a moment to think about creation and its blessings. One of my favorite poems to read at the change of seasons is by James Weldon Johnson:
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
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