Spring Points to the Marvels of Rebirth

Spring has officially sprung, as they say. You know how I know? I spotted the first weed already sprouting in our monkey grass, a clever imposter whose welcome has already worn out. A quick glance revealed other weedy “springers” making their appearance as well, contributing their unique brand of peskiness to the emergence of spring’s prettiness.

Even though some parts of the country apparently didn’t get the memo – with significant amounts of snow falling upon them – most areas are eager to be out with the cold and in with the warm. As I mentioned, the advent of spring isn’t all sunshine and marigolds. Along with the weeds, bugs also will soon be in force. Evidence that outside every silver lining you’re likely to find a gray cloud.

 

But enough of the negativity! Spring’s about to break forth with all the wonders of nature, greenery galore, and a plethora of flora. (I’ve liked the sound of that word, ‘plethora,’ ever since Howard Cosell brought it to public awareness decades ago on Monday Night Football.)

 

Trees are budding and soon will display their annual array of green leaves. Honey-minded bees will buzz from flower to flower, gathering pollen for their hives and, in the process, cross-pollinating other flowers they visit. Grass will grow, followed by the roar of lawnmowers to keep the green blades in check.

 

When I think of spring, rebirth comes to mind. Plant life that had been dormant for months suddenly explodes with energy. Birds have renewed cheer in their chirps. All forms of wildlife scurry about, reveling in the sunlight and warmth.

 

I can’t help but think of the Creator, in the midst of this revitalizing of our world. One passage in the Old Testament book of Isaiah specifically comes to mind:

“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 desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to My people, My chosen, the people I formed for Myself that they may proclaim My praise” (Isaiah 43:18-21).

 

Granted, here God isn’t talking about springtime and all its verdant glory. He’s referring to His unending mercy and faithfulness, remembering the covenant He made to His chosen ones even though they have strayed and rebelled time and again. He speaks of deliverance for His people and the establishment of His glorious future kingdom.

 

And yet, every spring, don’t we see the Lord doing a new thing, reawakening His creation in breathtaking beauty that even the most gifted artist can’t fully capture?

 

Whenever I see the twitter of birds heralding a new day of spring, blossoms bursting from branches to greet the sun, the laughter of children reveling on playgrounds that had been abandoned for months, I can’t help thinking of rebirth.

 

Rebirth is at the heart of the Gospel message. As Jesus told Nicodemus, the curious Pharisee, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again…. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8).

 

The marvel of spiritual rebirth is every bit as amazing as nature’s rebirth every spring. Science can observe the cycles of nature but can’t create them. In a similar and yet far more profound way, we can observe the effects of one becoming born again, even though our understanding of it must be anchored in faith. It is, as Ephesians 2:9 states it, “the gift of God, not by works, that no one can boast.”

So, as we enjoy the new season before it inevitably melts into the heat of summer, we’d be wise to remember that while seasons come and they go, the blessing of being born again is eternal. As Peter the apostle wrote, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever’” (1 Peter 1:23-25).