Warmer Days of Spring

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:18-21 ESV).

If you take a bit of a drive to the Hill Country of Texas, you would see the first signs that Spring is near. Bluebonnets are beginning to rise out of the ground in preparation to give the landscape an incredible vista. However, we are just now creeping into those days in North Central Texas when the weather is no more than very unpredictable. It may be freezing with sleet or snow, or it could be warm and sunny with temperatures in the seventies. It’s the latter of those that make me long for Spring. Perhaps you’re a bit like me and wonder if Spring is ever going to really arrive and stay. I know we’re a bit unusual since most of America lives in the reality of four seasons; and, come to expect their weather to naturally cycle from winter to spring to summer to fall. We expect trees to unfurl new leaves and temperatures to rise in the Spring because they're supposed to. That is a reasonable expectation; however, what if the wildflowers didn’t bloom and the trees didn’t leaf out in winter when their new leaves would freeze, or what if their flowers matured into hornets' nests instead of apples? What if they didn't bloom at all? In his autobiographical work, Orthodoxy, G. K. Chesterton remembers his journey from agnosticism to faith including such nonsensical questions. Before he became one of the the great 20th century apologists, he was a man confined to the world of determinism, where the natural world was governed by impersonal laws or nothing. But observing spring outside his window, he was struck by the wonderful fact that for some reason, trees do indeed bloom into fruit. This is what the apostle means when he writes to the Romans, For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them (v. 19). God has not hidden himself away from discovery. He has made his character and attributes plain in the world that he has created. The real problem is that often we simply don’t pay attention. As I look about my little world this time of the year, I am reminded to look more closely and see God in everything around me. That knowledge then ought to motivate me to worship and please Him. How about you?