A New Spring Right Around the Corner
Writen by: Charles Grandy
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
PLAY BALL!
When I was younger, I longed to hear these familiar words that mark the beginning of each new baseball season or the start of a baseball game. I played organized baseball for many years and simply loved to play the game. Each drive to the baseball diamond was an adventure that brought a sense of excitement as we learned new skills and prepared for the upcoming season, encouraged and rallied around teammates to take on the opposition and started our pursuit in search of a championship. It was simply magical!
While I played several different positions, my favorite was center field, especially after my coaches confirmed that I had full rein to make any play if I thought I could catch a flyball or ground ball hit to the outfield. And I loved the art and science of batting, from sizing up the opposing pitcher’s wind-up and delivery to standing in the on-deck circle to get ready for my next at-bat, to coming to the batter’s box and finding just the right spot and stance to dig my spikes firmly into the ground and get ready for the next pitch. Each time up to bat offered a new opportunity to take a few swings, get on base, and advance teammates to score more runs. It didn’t matter if I had gone down swinging the time before; my focus was on turning the page from the last at-bat to make the most of the next opportunity. Give me a ball, bat and glove and I was all set!
While I still love baseball and, indeed, look forward to spring training each year (with hope that the Cubs will win it all), I realize now that there was something deeper about my attraction to baseball that drove my love of the sport. Simply put, baseball is a visible marker of the changing seasons; a signpost to say goodbye to the shorter, darker, colder days of winter and welcome the longer, lighter, warmer days of spring. In turn, spring offers the promise of new buds on the trees, fresh flowers sprouting through the soil, and an opportunity for fresh beginnings. Like each time up to bat in baseball, spring offers a chance to turn the page on the cold of winter and all things past (like a prior strikeout) and explore the possibilities that lie ahead.
It seems no coincidence that the coming of spring often coincides with (or is followed closely by) what Christians refer to as “Holy Week,” a week representing the final seven days of Jesus Christ’s life. During this time, we reflect on the events of that final week, including Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (Palm Sunday); his confrontation by those who chose to betray him; the Last Supper with his disciples; his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane; his trial and conviction by Roman authorities; and his death on a cross, burial and resurrection from death into life on the third day. During the week, we necessarily travel through the pain of Holy Week to ultimately reach the gift of Easter... a new spring that follows the dark days of winter. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection (and God’s gift of grace and forgiveness from sin), God gives us the opportunity to leave the shorter, darker, colder days of winter for a new start, a way to turn from our mistakes of the past to a season of life filled with fresh possibilities that lie ahead.
So how about you? Have you been experiencing a time of life that feels like the cold of winter? Have you made mistakes that are hard to shake? Are you having a hard time forgiving yourself or others for something that happened in the past (perhaps long ago in the past)? Do you need to reach out to someone to clear up a misunderstanding so you can move forward with a better relationship? There is no time like Spring and the promise of Easter to receive God’s grace and let the old pass away and start afresh.
Take heart and know that God is present in each season. And as we give thanks for prior seasons of life (even if difficult), let’s also welcome the newness of spring and the promise of Easter as we explore new beginnings that God offers for the season ahead. The past is past; get ready . . . you’re up to bat!
