Spring is finally upon us! Well, at least for now. We must soak in and savour the sunshine while it lasts! There are many things associated with springtime: new life, flowers blooming, little lambs frolicking (and yes, they are as adorable as you would picture them to be). The formerly drab and dreary surroundings that we had grown so accustomed to during the winter months are now vanquished by the bursting sun-bright rays and the vibrant colours of spring! It reminds me of a passage from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when Edmund notices the bitter, steel grip of winter beginning to lose its hold: 

[He] could at last listen to the other noise properly. A strange, sweet, rustling, chattering noise— and yet not so strange, for he’d heard it before— if only he could remember where! Then all at once he did remember. It was the noise of running water. All round them though out of sight, there were streams, chattering, murmuring, bubbling, splashing and even (in the distance) roaring. And his heart gave a great leap (though he hardly knew why) when he realised that the frost was over. And much nearer there was a drip-drip-drip from the branches of all the trees. And then, as he looked at one tree he saw the great load of snow slide off it and for the first time since he had entered Narnia he saw the dark green of a fir tree.

As the narrative continues it becomes very clear why the snow is melting— Aslan, at last, has returned! All those years of winter under the White Witch’s control are completely undone with the mere presence of Aslan. It’s an incredibly hopeful part of C.S. Lewis’s tale, and it can bring hope to us today. As I said earlier, springtime does have a vibrant, sun-filled energy about it; maybe it’s due to the fact that we get more Vitamin D or maybe it has to do with something more, something deeper? I think our hearts long and even ache for the same resurrection and re-awakening we witness in nature at springtime. We’re tired of the old, selfish ways of living, the destructive habits that infect our best intentions, as well as the devastating updates that flood our news feeds. The winter-like darkness we see in the world today is overwhelming. It’s unjust. It’s worth weeping over— we know all is not as it should be.  Maybe we’ve begun to feel a strong conviction opposed to the winter-like lives we were once comfortably hibernating in. Now we see them for what they truly are— white-washed facades. And so, we hope and pray and long for God to transform our lives and give us a newly created heart. We hope and pray and long for God’s Kingdom to come to earth as it is in Heaven.

The good news is: we are not alone. TAKE HEART! Like Aslan, Jesus has come. He has brought the most High and Holy God of the Universe down amongst us earth dwellers with his own two nail-scarred hands and feet. He has given us the Holy Spirit who can revive our calcified, stone-broken hearts and transfigure them into whole, healthy hearts— living and beating for the Kingdom of the One True God (Ezekiel 36). We can take courage in the fact that God’s heart beats for Justice. It longs to rescue and restore and redeem ALL of creation. All these winter-bleak years which the impious prince of this world has tried to control, deceive, and pervert are entirely undone with the mere presence of God. Therefore, TAKE HEART (John 16:33). The frost is beginning to thaw! The same resurrection power of God that renews and regrows the plants, flowers, and trees around us is dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit is empowering us to bring the Kingdom of God on earth through us. So, TAKE HEART! You are not alone. Aslan has come. The Kingdom is on the move!

Check out this video by the Bible Project on the power of the Holy Spirit to bring new creation to our lives and this world: https://youtu.be/oNNZO9i1Gjc