Spring in northwest Missouri is amazing. It’s as though God grabbed a rainbow and splashed it across the ground. Hues of green, pink, cream, purple, red and yellow bring me such delight. After the dreary brown and gray of winter, the newness of spring is thrilling.

God promises us that same newness when we accept Christ as our savior. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Would you like to have new life? Turn away from your sin and to God, and ask Jesus to be your savior (Romans 10:9). “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires,” (2 Peter 1:3-4, NLT).

Debra L. Butterfield © 2010 Photo by M. Reed Butterfield © 2010

Instant Grief

Do you remember hand writing letters and waiting and wondering when your friend might write you back? I do. I had a pen pal overseas and his letters were months apart. Today, we communicate with friends around the world instantly. Microwave ovens prepare a meal in mere minutes when the same dish would have taken over an hour in a traditional oven. Credit cards allow us to buy what we want now, rather than waiting until we have saved enough cash.

The instantaneousness of today’s culture has invaded American lifestyle in such a way that we want instant everything. When I’m in pain, I want it to be over now! Pain, be it emotional or physical, is miserable. But grieving the loss of a loved one, or a failed marriage, or even simply an empty nest, is a process that takes time. While you might want to rush it, allow grief to takes it time so you can fully heal.

The giant redwood trees of California are the result of over a thousand years of growth. While many may disagree whether it took millions of years or thousands, the Grand Canyon is ancient. Much of the life around us takes many years to grow to maturity. So why should we expect to experience life so instantly?
Debra L. Butterfield © 2010 Photo by M. Reed Butterfield © 2010