Signs of Spring

A week after the paralyzing blizzard of 2011, I looked outside my front window. Cloudy skies reflected brief rays of sunshine. Piles of icy snow blocked areas of my cul-de-sac like giant icebergs. Ice melt formed tiny puddles of frigid water.

But in my redbud tree, scores of robins perched on the winter-brown limbs. I had never seen so many robins in one place, let alone in my own front yard. Though the calendar read the middle of February, this cadre of robins announced the coming of spring.

“Thank you, God. I so needed the encouragement of those robins. Thank you for sending them to my redbud tree.”

After this year of unemployment and weeks of godly discipline, my soul needed to be reminded that spring was peeking out from the next calendar page. The robins were a sign that the long siege had ended, and God was sending a refreshing change. During 2010, God had poked at me from his word and prodded me to seek him rather than the security of a job. He asked me to love him again with all my heart, soul, mind and strength – to enjoy his presence more than the presence of a paycheck. He wanted me to covet the divine whisper rather than the things of this world.

With my soul in raw tatters, I repented of worldly attitudes and felt once again the warmth of spiritual healing. Each day brought more strength and a renewed sense of gratitude for all God had taught me.

Now – the robins promised spring – just as God provided a fresh healing in my soul.