New Life

Ah! The freshness of spring. The birds are beginning to return and the morning is filled with the sounds of their chirping. Bunnies are popping up everywhere along with the spring flowers. The grass is turning green and the trees are budding. Life is returning after the dreary cold.

There is so much symbolism as Easter approaches. Winter brings death and keeps things dormant, much like Christ’s death for us. Spring brings the newness of life, much like Jesus’s resurrection did.

I appreciate every holiday but I do admit Easter is my favourite.

With the first anniversary of Sustaining Hope’s book last month, my mind is focused on new life. Since the book was written, the Lord has continued to do incredible work.

Post-Concussion Syndrome – It is so good to have vibrant life again. I am walking every day with Michael now, which I couldn’t even fully do last year. I’ve travelled, flying to Calgary last spring and went to New Brunswick in October to speak at a ladies’ conference. During that trip, I managed to drive seven hours of the fourteen it took to go there and back. I’ve gotten onto a healthier diet, been sleeping a bit better, and have better brain processing.

The only hold up in this whole recovery is my light sensitivity. I’ve done the light therapy which was successful, but every time I try to wean off of the darker blue glasses, I end up with a migraine. So, I am finally starting to embrace that I might just be known as the “blue glasses lady.” However, one exciting development is that I called my Optician and they’ve found contacts with the blue tint in them! So, we’ll see how I adjust to those!

Infertility – Michael and I have found peace with this. There are times, and probably will continue to be, where we’ll see parents having a sweet moment with their children, or come across one of our baby pictures, that moves our hearts to want our own. But overall, we are thankful for the life God has given us. We are grateful for the opportunities and time we get to serve the Lord. We’re doing things we love and are enjoying pouring into others.

You can have peace with infertility. It takes time and prayer, but it can happen. It is good to, “Be fruitful and multiply the earth;” (Genesis 1:28) to, “Train up a child in the way he should go,” (Proverbs 22:6). That is the way the Lord intends for most people. It was a Biblical command in the Old Testament because it was necessary in order to maintain the family line towards Christ Jesus. But, on this side of the Covenant of Grace, sometimes the Lord calls us to do these things by a spiritual sense with the people around us instead of physical children – and that’s okay.

Finances – We continue to rejoice and give thanks at the Lord’s daily provisions and being debt free. He has been so faithfully good to us. We continue to seek His will with our finances and have a passion to see others get out of debt, find freedom, and experience the fun of giving generously. What amazing possibilities could be achieved if the family of God didn’t have any debt? Take a moment to ponder that question.

What do all these things have to do with Easter?

• All of these represent new life.

The process of suffering and grief through these circumstances I wrote about in the book have all helped to produce new life in me. The more I’ve learned to die to self by giving up my own desires and expectations; the more I understand what being alive in Christ is like.

You see, Jesus is a Co-Sufferer. He gets into the trenches of the battle with you. He understands what you’re going through and He offers the perfect remedy for healing – Himself. He gives comfort, peace, and even joy. He helps sustain and grow your hope in Him, realizing as things in this world are taken away, that He really is all that matters.

Our Creator God is in the restoration business. Like a seed must first die before it produces a plant, our old lives before Christ must die in order to produce new life in Him. This life will make you sacrifice your comforts, but, will give you a far greater eternal reward.

• It’s all by the hand of the Lord I am where I am today

Jesus gave me life through the gift of His salvation. I am free from the lasting consequences of sin and death. He paid that penalty on the cross for me. He rose from the tomb, and is seated on high above everything in the heavens and the earth.

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by his blood,” Revelation 1:5

The Lord has healed so much of my physical and spiritual body. He has restored that which was broken and breathed new life into it. This freedom and healing makes me yearn for the day when every part of me will be completely healed, from sin, death, and every imperfection, and made right!

• It is by the grace and love of Jesus that I can experience His true hope!

Because of His new life, and the gift of Jesus’ salvation to me, I can experience His everlasting hope! This eternal hope is the only thing that will ever last. It’s the only one that’ll stand against time, fame, fortune, illness, relationships, etc. Nothing can stand against the Lord and the promises He’s made to His children. God’s children will reside at home with our Abba Father one day, free indeed!

So, when you look at the new life popping up in nature around you this spring, take some time to think about the new life God has given you, both in salvation and other circumstances. Give praise to Him and thank Him for the sustaining hope you can have in Him alone.