New Beginnings

Life is always full of new beginnings. We wake up each day with a fresh new start. We can choose to be cranky or not cranky and then the rest of our day follows suit. We can choose to begin a conversation with someone that very well may impact their lives in one way or another. We can make a new friend and begin something that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. We begin new jobs, start school, finish school (for that is, in fact, a beginning), get married, start families, move residence...etc. We can resist new beginnings or embrace them. Our lives are in a constant state of change. You may not realize it (or you may not want to realize it), but we are changing every instant. As we age our bodies change, but more importantly, we mature and become wiser (at least we hope). We learn from each new beginning and in that we grow.

With spring at our fingertips, we can see the natural world beginning anew. I sometimes like to describe the 'seasons' of my life. Because of constant change, our views and landscapes are always changing. Sometimes we move from one season to the next without realizing it, and sometimes the contrast between each season is so stark that you can't possibly miss it's change, and maybe even sometimes we wait in eager anticipation (as I have for spring this year) for the season's change and it never seems to come.

Doug and I are on the verge of the next season; a new beginning. And this change is coming upon us much like the visions of spring are appearing. Slowly, and not all at once, things are happening. Our lives are being changed and prepared for the 'heart' of the season to come.

The thing about change is that it is not always so easy. Some people thrive on 'new beginnings', but I am convinced that it isn't any easier. One of the most important things I have been learning, I have summed up in one phrase, "embrace the process". It is something I pray that I am able to do because I believe it is 'in the process' (i.e. change/new beginnings) that one is most likely to grow. It is in these times that God teaches us valuable lessons; lessons that are important for the season(s) ahead of us.

As Doug and I start to see our new season bloom and come into being, I want to encourage all of you to embrace your own new beginnings. Lets see where God takes us next!