Word on the Street

April 20, 2012

Spring is here! Everything is in full bloom, and I have the allergy symptoms to prove it. In addition to hay fever, however, I also find many of us are suffering from Spring Fever.

Spring Fever is an attitude that creeps in which often causes a spiritual malaise in our lives. We are tired of our routines and the expectations that go along with them. We feel less energy to follow through on our own responsibilities but seem to have enough capacity to complain about the world in general and specifically what is lacking in certain individuals. Those who study the condition note that there is a wider gap in Springtime between what we are and what we want to be. We see the world in full bloom and wonder why our lives have not bloomed in a similar way. As is often the case when this occurs, we find it easier to lash out and criticize others than do the challenging work of self-reflection.

This is why every Spring I take time to read a children's book (really written for everyone) called The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The story traces the journey of a boy and a tree throughout their lives from childhood to maturity. The focus keeps coming back over and over again to the things they do in order to be happy.

In many respects The Giving Tree is one of the most Godly stories I have ever read. It reminds me that the true power of Spring is found in the Resurrection, and Jesus Christ was raised because of his sacrificial love for us. In Philippians 2:5-11, the Apostle Paul recites a beautiful hymn of the early church:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death-
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

As Easter People, Springtime can be a delight when we honor our God-given purpose. Read "The Giving Tree" and more importantly "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus".