Going through firsts in a new house can be fun. Last year I moved into my first home as Summer was winding down. I was etched with excitement to experience Fall in my new neighborhood where changing foliage had my eyes dancing on brisk morning walks. Each change in season there were small things I noticed. Some wonderful surprises and some necessary fixes.

At the open house, I knew the few pieces of sod in the front yard acted as a temporary band-aid to spruce up the curb appeal for the sale. The previous owners paid for the sod, but from the present condition of hay visitors trampled over, they neglected to water the sod for the grass to grow. Therefore prior to closing day, the lawn, or lack of one, made it to the top of my to-do list. Under the beautiful, shaded tree in the front yard I wanted to see lush green grass in place of dirt and dead sod.

Coming out of Winter, springtime showered good amounts of rain under the tree. One morning as I rocked at a soothing pace in my chair on the front porch, I saw blades of green sprouting up from the dead patches of sod. I got up. The new sight caught my eye. Underneath the patch of dead sod that looks better off to till up and start over, new life broke through the surface. As I bent down and ran my fingers over the sprouts of green, I thought about new life and fresh starts.

What happened in the last six months that was a factor in the new growth I felt through my fingers? Possibly the reprieve from the hot sun, pecking birds, and squirrels digging holes to store their food. Winter slowed everything down and provided rest. Things fell still. The ground recovered from Summer and Fall. And at the same time, prepared for the next season of Spring.

The seasonal rhythms created this new life in the sod. How can I experience new life and fresh starts? Maybe I add in the practice of drinking in the Word of God, hospitality, and community for a season. And then choose to transition into a season of rest and stillness because the time away from daily rhythms and demands is good for me. This time allows space for my mind to slow down, my body to recover, and my heart to prepare for the next season. The new life under my tree carries my thoughts to what other new life is around the corner.

What about you?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; the new life has begun!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19