Birds are Singing

I love the promise of new life. Winter is long up here. The birds are singing again, but with the season's change, also comes Spring cleaning. It is time to clean the house, but who wants to spend their days inside? Winter's long sleep can no longer be ignored and doubt creeps in about how we are going to handle our new found freedom along with our new responsibilities.

We have a friend who is 6'7", a very tall man. When he comes into my home, I have a tendency to get very insecure, very fast. Most of my friends are around the same height as I am and I do not know anyone who is taller than Jason, but this friend has a whole new look on things. He walks in and I immediately notice where his eyes can see. He sees dirt in places that I never think to look, "for I don't need to clean that place, no one sees it." That is not the case when he walks in my door. After he leaves, (I do this, no joke) I get a chair and see my home from his point of view. Now I have a choice. I can either address the things that his height has pointed out, or I can go on ignoring them and settle back into my comfort zone. But settling always has a tendency to back fire, he will come over again, and I will once again be made uncomfortable. I am a person who looks forward to summer with all of the crazy emotions that are awakened and all of the work that it brings. I love to hear the birds sing. This change brings promise, but with this promise also comes lots of work. I just cannot sit back and ignore the dirt.

I know many who are struggling right now. They are hurt. There have been many who have had their own hearts revealed to themselves, and to others, in ways they would have never imagined. This is good. It brings light upon things that are normally left alone. It helps us to notice the dirt that we have been ignoring in the past. It helps us to see the truth about how we really keep our house.

Ephesians 1:22, "God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself."

Remember that Christ is very tall. He can see in places that we try to ignore. He can see right into our own hearts. We need to allow Him to show our hearts what we really need to notice. It is not about what others around us are doing and saying, it is about our own hearts, that is what really needs to be cleaned. This is the season for change. I am so excited about this new season and the hope that it brings. There is going to be lots of work. There are many things that have been exposed. I have many hidden fears that try and come in and try to silence me. I have many doubts that make my heart want to roll over and go back to sleep, but my doubts are in myself. I doubt that I can do what I know Christ is calling me to do. He wants my eyes to see the places in my own heart that need to be strengthened. He wants me to see myself. He wants me to take a good look in the mirror and not to just walk away and forget what I look like, but to keep looking steadily into His perfect law that sets me free.

If I concentrate on what others are doing in their own house, I have a tendency to start throwing dirt. I have discovered that when you start throwing dirt, all that really happens, is that you loose a lot of ground. You start concentrating on what they need and should be doing, I stop looking at my own reflection in the mirror. What Christ is showing me to do, never gets done. In this season, can I hear the birds singing? In this season, can I see the joy they bring? In this season, am I willing to work where I need to step up and work? Have I pulled out my chair and taken a look around my house to see things from another view point? Have I taken a look at my own heart from where Christ stands? Am I willing to concentrate on Him? This is a good thing. This can be fun. This is a time when we can sing with the birds. This is a time to notice things from another angle, no matter how uncomfortable it make us. This is a time to sing.